January 18, 2023
Standing Hearing Set for Inquest Into Death of Lee Earnshaw
A hearing date has been set to determine who can participate in the upcoming inquest into the death of Lee Earnshaw, 42, of Winnipeg.
On June 14, 2021, Winnipeg police officers were flagged down and directed to a tent located in the area of a treeline west of 44 Higgins Ave., where officers were advised that a male may have overdosed on the street drug known as “down.” Within the tent, officers located Lee Earnshaw, who was found to be unresponsive. Resuscitation efforts by emergency personnel at the scene and later at the hospital including the administration of Narcan, a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids, were unsuccessful and he was declared deceased at Health Sciences Centre.
Under the Fatality Inquiries Act, an inquest has been called by the chief medical examiner. Inquests explore the circumstances and events leading to deaths to determine what, if anything, could be done to help prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future.
Before the inquest can begin, the judge will decide who can participate and question witnesses. Individuals and groups may make an application to be granted standing and participation. Those interested in applying for standing should contact Mitchell Lavitt, inquest counsel, at 204-918-0433 or at mitchell.lavitt@gov.mb.ca by Feb. 2.
The standing hearing will be held on Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. in courtroom 408 at the Manitoba Law Courts Complex, 408 York Ave., Winnipeg.
- 30 -