Stories

Told by his son, Frank Jr.

My Father, Frank James Watts, was arrested by the police at Safeway in Prince Rupert. There were witnesses who saw the two officers roughing up my Dad by having him handcuffed and thrown into the back of the cop car so hard that the door on the other side opened up.

The two police officers then brought my Dad into the station unconscious and with his hands handcuffed behind his back. Although police policies dictate that any unconscious person brought in should be first checked by a medical professional, this did not happen.

My Dad was placed in a drunk tank and on his back, as there were guys in jail, who witnessed this. When he started to vomit, the guys in the cell called for help, and when the guard opened the door, he said that due to police policies, he cannot enter the drunk tank, unless an officer was present. So he closed the door, without even turning my Dad on his side, which could have saved his life. Absolutely no first aid treatment was done, just the door closed on my sick Father.

When the ambulance was finally called, the attending paramedics checked on the wrong person in the drunk tank.

In the coroner’s report it was noted that the City Of Prince Rupert had hired a civilian to be a guard on duty at the police station. He did not have the adequate training to do that job.

My first cousin, Leonard Watts Jr., also went to the police detachment that evening to try and take my Father home, but the police denied his request.

The day after my Dad died in police custody, I called the police department and asked what had happened. The Police Chief offered to pay for my Dad’s funeral but I said not until I found out what exactly happened to him.

In the autopsy report, it stated that my Dad died from “asphyxia as a result of obstruction in the airway by gastric fluid content”. Moreover, I believe that the excessive force used by the officers in smashing my Father’s head into the door is what made him lose consciousness in the first place. As stated in the autopsy report, my Father had “petechial hemorrhages” on the scalp, which are consistent with the head trauma he endured. Furthermore, the report details “edema fluid in the lower tracheobronchial tree” and “pulmonary edema in the lungs”, indicating excess fluid in the lungs. The resuscitation paramedics that eventually did show up at the department also corroborated this evidence of recent vomiting by noting large amounts of gastric fluid from the lungs during chest compressions.

When discussing this with the original coroner, John McNish, he pointed out that my Dad did not have enough alcohol in his system to kill him, nor were his heart troubles severe enough to have played a role in his death, and that I had a 100 percent chance in winning a lawsuit against the RCMP.

Interestingly, McNish, who was the original coroner, is not listed on the final coroner’s report in any capacity. Many details that had been discussed were left out of the final report and a different coroner had signed off on it. I believe this to be a coverup.

What also wasn’t included in the final coroner’s report were the dark bruises on my Dad’s temple and above his nose, which I saw photographs of from my lawyer at the time.

Racism truly had a hand in the death of my Father, Frank James Watts, as more First Nations have been neglected and have also died at that police department in Prince Rupert.

In the coroner’s inquest, recommendations were made, but seemingly were never implemented, as more wrongful deaths continued at the police department in Prince Rupert following the death of my Father.

Originally, my lawyer represented us for the coroner’s inquest but was unable to proceed with a wrongful death claim. I asked around another 20 lawyers for help. No lawyers would help me, as I later realized that at the time of my Dad’s death, my siblings and I were grown adults and were not considered financial dependents. Under BC law, that meant my Dad’s life was worthless and free for the RCMP to neglect and kill without any sort of accountability under provincial legislation.

I had tried to pursue truth and justice for my Father’s death but was unable to receive help from anyone.

Prior to my Father’s death, I was a youth worker and a vibrant contributor to the community, and following these terrible events I ended up becoming lost in addiction because I was so angry and suddenly my life seemed so hopeless.

With help from the Union Gospel Mission, I’ve now been clean and sober for the past four years and have been working very hard to get my life back on track. I’ve nearly completed a bachelor’s degree in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Simon Fraser University and hope to thereafter earn a Master’s in Environmental Science. I am looking forward to bringing forth positive change in British Columbia. I want to get justice for my Father and anyone else who died wrongfully in Police custody.

I reached out to The BC Wrongful Death Law Reform Society because I wanted my Father’s story told and my voice to be heard.

So many others in the First Nations community are afraid to come forward, or have been completely defeated by the system and don’t feel that justice is even possible. My three brothers, three sisters, and nieces and nephews were severely traumatized by what happened to my Dad.

I’m wanting to carry the torch forward and set an example for my community and work for positive change, access to justice, and accountability for wrongdoers.

I pray with all my heart that justice will be served and these inhumane laws changed.

Media Coverage

Union Gospel Mission – Finding My Peace In Forgiveness