Man stunned, injured by police in Prince Albert, Sask., clinging to life in hospital, family says

WARNING: This story contains graphic content.

The family of Boden Umpherville says he is clinging to life after being stunned and seriously injured following a vehicle stop by police in Prince Albert, Sask., last weekend.

Umpherville was sent to hospital after a police stop on April 1, which led to what the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) described as an “altercation” in which multiple police officers used their stun guns, batons and pepper spray. Members of SIRT, the province’s new police oversight agency, found a loaded handgun at the scene.

Loved ones say Umpherville, 40, has been on life support for days and doctors were concerned about whether he’ll pull through.

“He looks so horrible,” said older brother Derry Umpherville.

“I’m just holding it together, piece by piece. Break down from time to time.”

During the early morning hours of April 1, members of the Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) pulled over a vehicle on 13th Street West. The vehicle, a black Dodge Avenger, had been reported stolen, according to police.

Three people were inside the car at the time, including the vehicle’s registered owner. The owner of the vehicle told CBC News that they were behind the wheel at the time and that they did not report it stolen. CBC News agreed not to use the owner’s name because they fear for their safety.

More police officers arrived.

Witness video obtained by CBC News shows six police officers by the vehicle — five on the passenger’s side and one on the driver’s side. They are seen ordering Umpherville out of the vehicle, warning him that he will get stunned.

CBC News has not seen footage of what led up to the vehicle being pulled over, nor of any provocation that may have led to police trying to arrest Umpherville.

In the video submitted to CBC News, officers can be seen opening the passenger and driver-side doors. The officer on the driver’s side is seen allowing the driver to exit the vehicle before continuing.

“I’m going to tase him,” one officer says in the video, before announcing that he can’t find his stun gun. 

WATCH | Video appears to show Prince Albert police using stun gun, pepper spray on man:

WARNING: This video contains graphic content. Witness video obtained by CBC News appears to show Prince Albert police using stun guns, batons and pepper spray during an altercation which is now being investigated by Saskatchewan’s new police oversight agency. The man who appears to have been stunned multiple times is clinging for life in hospital, according to his family.

A moment later, multiple officers exclaim, “Taser.” A blue light can be seen in the vehicle and the sound of an electrical current can be heard.

“He ripped [the cords] off” can then be heard in the video. 

They appear to stun Umpherville again. An officer is then heard announcing they are using pepper spray. Police then allow a second person out of the vehicle.

Umpherville appears to be stunned multiple times. Eventually, the car — which had been sitting idle — lurches forward about six metres and hits a police cruiser.

“Hit him” can then be heard in the video.

Umpherville, still in the vehicle, appears to be stunned again by the police officers. Officers open the driver’s side door and try pulling him out. At least one officer appears to hit him; another officer takes out their baton and appears to hit the windshield.

While four officers focus on Umpherville, another focuses on taking off the driver-side door. An electrical current can be heard over the voices of the police.

They eventually get him out of the car and onto the ground. One officer announces something is underneath Umpherville.

The SIRT investigation is ongoing. The team is mandated to investigate when someone is seriously injured or dies because of a police officer’s actions, or while the person is in custody.

SIRT investigators found a loaded handgun at the scene, according to a news release. The provincial justice ministry previously told CBC News that it did not belong to Prince Albert Police officers.

Prince Albert Police have previously said they would not comment further on the incident, due to the ongoing SIRT investigation. Regardless, CBC News has contacted PAPS for comment. A spokesperson said the service had no additional details to share at this point.

Umpherville went into medical distress shortly after the arrest, police say. He was sent to hospital in serious condition.

Derry Umpherville learned about his brother’s condition when the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon informed him that his brother was in their care, he said. The family learned what had transpired through the news media.

A photo of the scene, obtained by CBC News, shows a pool of blood on the ice and snow-covered street.

Photos of Umpherville in hospital show scrapes covering his face and head; a gash over his left eyebrow is stapled together. Gauze is stuffed in his right nostril.

His body is bruised, his brain is swollen and he has been unable to wake up, Derry Umpherville said.

On Friday, doctors were to run more tests to see if he has any nervous functions, he said. If not, he’ll be officially declared brain-dead.

“We’re just hanging on to any kind of hope that we have,” said Chase Sinclair, a close friend of Umpherville.

People CBC News interviewed described Umpherville as an incredibly kind person who tried to lift people up in his community, but who had also served time incarcerated.

Umpherville’s family returned to the hospital Saturday to get an update on his condition.

Umpherville is an Indigenous man; his father was a member of Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, Derry Umpherville said. Given that, the SIRT civilian director will appoint a community liaison — someone who is of First Nation or Métis descent — to help with the investigation, per Saskatchewan’s Police Act.

The investigation will review police conduct during the incident, including the circumstances around the man’s arrest. A final report will be publicly released within 90 days of the investigation ending, according to a SIRT news release.