This is Boden Umpherville (Saskamoose):
Boden was 40 years old when he was involved in an altercation with at least 6 Prince Albert Police Service officers in Saskatchewan at 3:30am on April 1st, 2023. Officers pulled Boden over on the 100 block of 13th Street West as the vehicle he drove had been reported stolen. 3 people were in the vehicle, one of them being the registered owner who told the media later they had not reported the vehicle missing. Video footage shows Boden attempted to flee and striking a parked police vehicle in the process. Officers deployed 5 different stun guns 15 separate times, pepper sprayed him, and struck him with their batons and knees. The incident left Boden in critical condition and he was declared brain dead and taken off of life support on April 26th, 2023. His family believes his death was made possible by the fact that his heart stopped for 20 minutes after the altercation before he was revived. Officers reportedly found a loaded handgun at the scene and a knife strapped to Boden's person.
The Serious Incident Report Team, an organization tasked with investigating serious police violence, found that Boden's death was caused by "positional asphyxia" and cocaine intoxication. Boden's toxicology results from autopsy were consistent with someone who had recently taken a large dose of cocaine. Police at the scene reported that Boden first gave a false name and resisted arrest and was being taken in on multiple warrants. He also had a lifetime weapons ban from previous cases which made the gun attributed to him at the scene and the knife found strapped to his chest illegal. A female passenger in the back seat was determined to have been buying cocaine at the time of the arrest. They also found that officers used reasonable force and recommended no charges be made.
Boden's loved ones believe police are avoiding responsibility by not admitting trauma also played a role in Boden's death. He is father to 5 children and had recently begun to share his experiences in criminality with youth, hoping to steer them in a different direction. May Boden's memory be a blessing and may his family and community receive justice.
Tribal Information: Boden is Cree
Warning: Some of the Sources contain photos of Boden after the altercation and may be upsetting to some readers.
Sources:
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