Death of an inmate in Bordeaux prison, a guard suspended
Bordeaux prison, located in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville.
A correctional officer at Bordeaux prison has been temporarily suspended after a heavy-handed intervention that claimed the life of inmate Nicous D'Andre Spring, 21, announced the Ministry of Public Security (MSP).
The inmate reportedly died Saturday afternoon following an altercation with correctional officers in which cayenne pepper and a spit mask were used to subdue him.
Mathieu Lavoie, president of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec (SAPSCQ-CSN), specified in an interview with La Presse that the agents had to resort to these methods “to control the person who was trying to bite and spit on the officers” and that they would have become unwell “from the intervention with the cayenne pepper.”
The death of the inmate raises questions regarding the use of cayenne pepper, a substance considered dangerous for the respiratory tract. Several inmates have died in the United States as a result of the use of this intermediate weapon, the only one that can be used by correctional officers during altercations.
The Sûreté du Québec and the coroner's office are currently investigating the cause and circumstances of death. According to information from Radio-Canada, an autopsy will be performed.
Mr. D’Andre Spring who also went by the stage name Yk Lyrical was jailed pending trial on counts of assault, carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose and failing to comply with an order .
