New information shines a light on death of illegally detained man at Montreal’s Bordeaux jail

Nicous D’Andre Spring, 21, died on Christmas Eve, the day after he should have been released from detention at Montreal’s Bordeaux jail.

Previous information showed that his death came after guards put a spit hood on him and pepper-sprayed him three times following a physical altercation. Now, new information coming to light.

According to documents obtained by Radio-Canada, Spring reportedly suffered a heart attack following the pepper spray and spit hood use.

“Light has to be shed on what happened to this young man,” said Kwadwo Damya Yeboah, criminal lawyer. “A young man of his age, to die of a cardiac arrest is very uncommon. So it’s something that needs to be investigated to really what happened.”

Arrested by Montreal police on Dec. 20, Spring had pled not guilty to charges of assaulting a peace officer and violating release conditions. He was awaiting trial on several earlier charges, including robbery, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm.

Quebec’s Public Security Department described Spring’s detention as “illegal” because he was ordered by a judge to be released on Dec. 23 but was still behind bars the next day.

“I do think it’s very important for a public inquiry. Why? Because if anyone that deals with this, with the justice system and the prison system knows there’s secrecy. There’s a brotherhood between the guards. So an investigation, for it to be the most thoroughly possible, have to be a public one,” said Yeboah.

The Red Coalition, a non-profit lobbying organization, already calling on the Quebec government to launch an independent public inquiry into the death.

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According to Radio-Canada, nine correctional officers were involved to subdue Spring.

“I’m preoccupied with the use of the spit mask and of the pepper spray or the “spit hood” as some people referred to, because they’re used for two different intervention strategies,” said Michael Arruda, former Montreal police officer & crisis interventions specialist.

Arruda says combining both can cause a lot of anxiety, and a choking sensation.

“The pepper spray, you don’t always get it exactly where you’re aiming. If you get it in the mouth, you’re going to have a sensation of burning where you feel like you have a hard time breathing so the person will either gag or try to spit what they have in the mouth out so they can breathe better.”

Several attempts were reportedly made to perform a decontamination shower, where Spring was pepper-sprayed again and asked to “cooperate” but his body was limp.

The team believed he was faking his condition, according to Radio-Canada. Officers transported Spring to his cell where he had no pulse.

He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead – investigators’ initial findings say due to cardiac arrest.

#WATCH: "I just hope and wish for a transparent investigation," says Kwadwo Damya Yeboah, criminal lawyer on the death of unlawfully detained inmate, 21-year-old Nicous D'Andre Spring. pic.twitter.com/72aPVcAWgi

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) January 11, 2023

In a statement to CityNews, Quebec’s minister of public security said:

“Several investigations are currently underway to shed light on the causes and circumstances surrounding the death of the incarcerated person which occurred on December 24, 2022, in particular an investigation by the Sûreté du Québec as well as a coroner’s inquest. […] At the end of all of these investigations, the MSP will analyze the conclusions and recommendations received, and put in place the appropriate corrective measures if necessary.

The MSP is committed to the smooth running of these investigations. At the moment of writing this statement, the cause of death has yet to be determined by the coroner’s office. We invite you to contact this organization to request a copy of the report.

For the moment the MSP will not issue any other comment and that the same will apply to any question related to the ongoing investigations.”

Inquiry demanded into Bordeaux jail death after guards used pepper spray

“It’s unfortunate that a young man of this age should die in the hand of authorities,” said Yeboah.

Like Spring, two other inmates were also being detained illegally at the time, but were released on Dec. 24.

A correctional officer and a manager have been suspended following the death.

“At least if we can learn something so that it doesn’t have to happen again to anyone else,” said Yeboah.