The family of Soleiman Faqiri, a mentally ill man who died at a jail in Lindsay in December, is concerned at the pace of the investigation into the circumstances of his death.
Faqiri, 30, of Ajax, was taken into custody at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay on Dec. 4 after being charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault and one count of threatening death and bodily harm. He died 11 days later.
According to the man’s family, Faqiri was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2005 during his second semester studying engineering at the University of Waterloo. Before that he was a straight-A student and played on the rugby and football teams in high school, said his brother Yusuf Faqiri.
“After he was diagnosed with his illness his life trajectory changed but he as a person never changed,” Yusuf said. “His sense of humour and his brilliance remained even after this illness.”
On Dec. 15, 2016 Faqiri was involved in a “physical altercation with multiple correctional officers,” according to a Jan. 30 press release from the Kawartha Lakes Police Service.
The release said that “use of force was applied” to Faqiri, and officials attempted to revive him when he lost all vital signs. But they were unsuccessful, and Faqiri was pronounced dead inside a cell.
The investigation into Faqiri’s death is still ongoing, according to the release, as they are still “in the process of evaluating evidence.” The investigation also relies on a report from the Coroner’s Office which could take six to eight weeks, the police service said.
On Dec. 12, 2016 a mental health assessment was ordered for Faqiri, according to The Ministry of the Attorney General. Nader Hasan, the family’s lawyer, said a justice of the peace also asked that inquiries be made about a bed in a mental health facility.
“If someone who clearly needed to be in a treatment facility dies in a pretrial detention facility while waiting for a bed, the system is clearly not working,” Hasan said.
Yusuf said his family showed up at the jail multiple times following Faqiri’s arrest, and were not permitted to see him. He said they also made sure to inform the guards of Faqiri’s condition during their visits.
The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services declined to comment on Faqiri’s arrest and death “as the matter is under police investigation.”
Uppala Chandrasekera, Director of Public Policy at the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario, said healthcare professionals should be brought in to support and teach correctional officers about how to deal with inmates with mental illnesses.
“In some way correctional officers are being asked to do things that they have zero training in,” Chandrasekera said. “We need to be brought in as support in these types of situations and to help correctional officers understand signs and symptoms of illness so that someone can be flagged immediately and be brought to either their health care unit internally in the facility or be transferred out to a hospital.”
A vigil for Faqiri will take place on Wednesday at Nathan Phillips Square between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
“(Faqiri) died more than seven weeks ago now,” Hasan said. “The family has been extremely patient.”
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