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Police in Saskatoon say methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and an imitation firearm were found after the death of 36-year-old Trevor Dubois, but members of his family say the fake gun was actually just a novelty lighter.
Dubois was pronounced dead following what police termed an “altercation” with security guards at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital on Friday. The death is under investigation, but his relatives and the Saskatoon Tribal Council are calling for both answers and action.
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According to police, officers were called to the health-care facility just after 7 a.m. after getting a report of a deceased person.
“Further investigation determined hospital security officers entered a patient’s room after it was reported a firearm was seen inside. When security attempted to restrain the male, a physical altercation took place. During the interaction, the male became unresponsive and was later pronounced deceased,” the Saskatoon Police Service said in a statement.
“Following the incident, an imitation firearm was located, along with methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.”
The police force said officers and the Saskatchewan Coroners Service are investigating Dubois’ death.
“As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to confirm or comment on specifics, or provide additional details beyond what has already been released publicly,” said the Saskatoon Police Service in a statement.
Family members who visited Trevor Dubois at Royal University Hospital the day before the incident said he showed no signs of distress. (Trevor Dubois/Facebook)
According to paNOW, Dubois had recently moved to Saskatoon and was in hospital receiving chemotherapy treatment for brain cancer.
Val Dubois, Trevor’s mother, spoke to reporters on Monday, saying she wants to know details of her son’s death, including the specific time, manner and location of his passing.
“How did this happen?” she asked.
“I have no answers. I just want to know what happened.”
Val said she visited her son in the hospital in the days immediately prior to his death, and he did not seem to be in distress.
“I was here with him Wednesday and Thursday and he was so happy that I was going to be coming back on Saturday,” she said.
Val said she believes the “imitation firearm” referred to by police was actually a novelty lighter and cigarette case in the shape of a firearm.
“We went outside for a cigarette at the hospital and I said, ‘Hey, you got a lighter?’ and that’s what he pulled out,” she said.
“That’s the first and only time I’ve seen something that looks like a gun.”
Jaydn Dubois, Trevor’s niece, said he had “a very strong and loud personality,” and was well known in the community as an advocate.
“He was my biggest inspiration,” she said. “I looked up to him. I wanted to become just like him and advocate for others, and I know that what has happened and taken place here since his passing, if it was anyone else I know, knowing Trevor he would be the loudest advocate and have the loudest voice.”
Saskatoon Tribal Council says Dubois was victim of ‘major crime’
Tribal Chief Mark Arcand, the head of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, called Dubois’ death the “worst-case scenario” for First Nations people.
During a news conference on Monday, Arcand said he believes Dubois was assaulted, “and there was a major crime committed that took his life.”
The tribal chief called on the Saskatchewan Health Authority to “hold their staff accountable immediately,” and said he’d like to see the employees involved in the altercation fired and held “to the highest standard of criminal charges” by police. He said he’s been informed that the guards involved in the altercation have been suspended with pay.
Arcand further described the lighter and cigarette case that Dubois allegedly had with him in the hospital.
“It looks like a gun, but it’s an actual lighter. It’s bright pink, yellow (and) green is what we’ve been told,” Arcand explained.
“You basically pull the lever back on the top and then cigarettes pop out. And then you pull the trigger and the flame comes out, so we’re assuming – ‘cause nobody has told the family – this is what their only understanding of a firearm is.”
While Arcand acknowledged that the incident that led to Dubois’ death is under an ongoing investigation, he said some answers should be provided in order to provide relief to the grieving family.
“Tell us something,” Arcand said. “Tell us things that are going to help the family. They have to bury a loved one in the next few days with no answers and that is not right.”
Arcand said he hopes Dubois’ death can ultimately lead to change and improvements, which he said will be the legacy of the 36-year-old man.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority said it is taking the incident “extremely seriously,” and is “committed to accountability and to ensuring a safe care environment for patients, visitors, and staff.”
The health authority noted that it is co-operating fully with the investigation.
The officer involved in the altercation, who is an employee of the SHA, was suspended “immediately following the incident,” said the health authority in a statement.
Health minister’s response
Jeremy Cockrill, health minister, said he was aware of the incident. In a statement, he said he met with Chief Arcand from STC about the situation and “will continue to work together.”
“The SHA has deemed this a critical incident and as such, will be conducting a full investigation of what occurred. The SPS is also conducting their own investigation into the incident, and as those investigations remain ongoing, it would be inappropriate for me to further comment at this time,” said Cockrill in a statement.
Cockrill added he recently met with the SHA to discuss some of these current challenges “on the topic of facility safety” and will “have more to say on those discussions in the days and weeks ahead.”
–with files from paNOW’s Nigel Maxwell and 650 CKOM’s Libby Gray
