REGINA - The jury is now in deliberations at the Samwel Uko inquest in Regina.
The presiding coroner Robert Kennedy completed his roughly hour and a half charge to the jury on Friday morning at the Ramada Plaza, and the jury of six individuals is now sequestered behind closed doors.
The jury is to make determinations on the deceased’s identity, the time of death, where the death took place, the medical cause of death, and by what means the deceased death occurred, and offer recommendations for the future.
Uko was a 20-year old from Abbotsford B.C. who twice sought help at Regina General Hospital for mental health issues, only to be removed by security on his second visit on the afternoon of May 21, 2020. His body was later recovered at Wascana Lake.
While the jury is deliberating, the Official Opposition NDP has waded in, issuing a news release in which Deputy Leader Nicole Sarauer voiced support for systemic mental health reform and for a special legislative committee to examine the mental health and addictions crisis in Saskatchewan.
“No one should have been treated the way Samwel Uko was when he turned to Saskatchewan’s health system for help,” said Sarauer in a statement. She also referred to the testimony heard during the week.
“The inquest’s findings are troubling but not surprising - short-staffing, emergency rooms crises, and systemic racism in health delivery are not new issues. We need more than just talk - we must start taking urgent action.”
SASKTODAY.ca will provide a full story on the verdict after it comes down.
