A public inquest into the 2017 death of an Indigenous woman in Quesnel has brought forward one recommendation for RCMP.
40 year-old Nadine Marcy Solonas of the Tl’azt’en and Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nations, passed away in hospital after being arrested that October.
She had been celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend, Richard Gregorig, at a local motel when Solonas was assaulted by another guest.
Police would be called in to respond but would end up arresting Solonas for breaching court orders requiring her to stay away from Gregorig.
Solonas was held at the detachment for some time, despite showing signs of head trauma, with officers saying she refused medical attention.
She would eventually be transported to hospital where she would succumb to injuries related to a blunt force head injury.
BC’s Independent Investigations Office would later clear RCMP of wrong-doing, and Nathan Doucette and Dawn Gunanoot would plead guilty to the assault in 2020.
A Coroners’ Inquest which wrapped up last month has now brought forward one recommendation for police to prevent similar future deaths.
It calls for a 24/7 on-call Indigenous support position to assist when those in custody are refusing medical care, or does not trust first responders.
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