Adamie Nutaraluk’s 2009 death “accidental,” Iqaluit inquest determines

Adamie Nutaraluk’s death was “accidental,” says the verdict of the coroner’s inquest looking into the death of Nutaraluk, 56, who died in RCMP custody in Iqaluit on Dec. 9, 2009.

The inquest’s jury delivered this verdict shortly before 6 p.m. on March 13.

Evidence presented at the two-day-long inquest, held in the Nunavut Court of Justice, said Nutaraluk died on the morning of Dec. 9, 2009, inside a RCMP jail cell in Iqaluit.

The jury, which met March 12 and March 13, agreed that Nutaraluk died sometime between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. in cell 9 of “acute ethanol [alcohol] intoxication” despite checks by RCMP guards every 15 minutes.

They acknowledged that Nutaraluk had “chugged a large portion” of a 60-ounce bottle of vodka before being taken into custody (for the second time in 24 hours) after midnight on Dec. 9.

Although not directed to make recommendations by the presiding coroner, Garth Eggenberger, the former chief coroner of the Northwest Territories, or by lawyers for the RCMP and City of Iqaluit, the jury made three recommendations intended to prevent similar deaths from occurring.

They recommended that:

• an external review re-assess the RCMP policy regarding detainees who appear to be intoxicated;

• the RCMP use a breathalyzer to check alcohol levels on detainees who appear to be intoxicated; and,

• RCMP members verbally address detainees who are intoxicated every hour to check their responsiveness.

During the inquest, the jury did not specifically address some of the puzzling questions that came up, such as why Nutaraluk was released the first time, after he had been picked up drunk on Dec. 8, only to return to custody two hours later in the early hours of Dec. 9, inconsistencies in the timing and location of events presented during the inquest, and why the RCMP did not perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on Nutaraluk on Dec. 9 when the city’s emergency medical responders immediately started efforts to revive him after they arrived at the detachment.

The family of Nutaraluk was not represented by a lawyer at the inquest.

“I would like to thank the members of the jury and your foreperson for the attentiveness they have shown today. You have performed your duty truly and on behalf of the Government of Nunavut I thank you for your diligence and performing your civic duty in this important function,” said Eggenberger before concluding the inquest March 13.

During the inquest, Eggenberger worked with Nunavut’s new chief coroner, Padma Suramala.