November 9, 2020
Standing Hearing for Inquest into Death of Matthew Fosseneuve
A standing hearing will take place to determine who can participate in the upcoming inquest into the death of Matthew Fosseneuve, 34, of Winnipeg.
On July 28, 2018, the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) received a disturbance call about a male who was behaving bizarrely and had thrown a brick at a vehicle. When WPS members arrived, the male was combative and a Taser was deployed. The individual was then taken to the ground and cuffed and shackled. He continued to struggle and became unresponsive. Resuscitation was attempted, but he was later pronounced dead in hospital.
Under the Fatality Inquiries Act, an inquest has been called by the chief medical examiner. Inquests explore the circumstances and events leading to deaths for the purpose of finding out what, if anything, might be done to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Before the inquest begins, the judge will decide who can participate in the process and question witnesses. Individuals and groups may make an application to be granted standing and participate in the inquest. Those interested in applying for standing should contact Mark Lafreniere, inquest counsel, at 204-391-2245 or mark.lafreniere@gov.mb.ca by Dec. 4.
The standing hearing will be held at 2 p.m. on Dec. 22 in courtroom 408 at the Manitoba Law Courts Complex, 408 York Ave., Winnipeg. As previously announced, this standing hearing will also determine who can participate in the upcoming inquest into the deaths of Patrick Gagnon, Michael Bagot and Sean Thompson.
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