The coroner’s inquest into the death of Ryan Kereluk has been scheduled for Dec. 2 to Dec. 6 at Prince Albert Court of Queen’s Bench. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Unanswered questions

Man found unresponsive in police cell, subject of coroner’s inquest

Dec 2, 2019 | 12:00 PM

The circumstances surrounding a man’s death in Prince Alber last year will be analyzed and discussed in detail this week at a Coroner’s Inquest.

Ryan Kereluk, 34, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Prince Albert Police Service on May 18, 2018. Kereluk was soon after taken to hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Section 20 of the Coroners Act, 1999, states that the Chief Coroner shall hold an inquest into the death of a person who dies while an inmate at a jail or a correctional facility, unless the coroner is satisfied the person’s death was due entirely to natural causes and was not preventable

Five days have been set aside this week for the inquest, and 20 witnesses are expected to testify including members of the police service and Parkland Ambulance.

In his opening remarks Coroner Tim Hawryluk, who is presiding over the hearing, advised the purpose of the inquest is to identify the cause of Kereluk’s death, bring to light if there were any dangerous practices by police that may have played a role in the incident, and also make any recommendations to prevent similar deaths.

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At the start of the proceedings Monday morning, six jurors were selected. Each potential juror was asked if they had any connections to police or the Kereluk family. Kereluk’s mother was in the front row observing the proceedings.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell