Inquest into Winnipeg police-interaction death hears contradicting testimony

More contradicting testimony has been entered by Winnipeg Police Service officers as part of an ongoing inquest examining the deaths of five men following police interactions.

Three officers swore under oath, Wednesday Cochrane was combative and fighting with a general patrol officer when they arrived on scene, but video evidence shows that was not the case. 

Tactical officers Const. Ian McLarty, Eric Trotman, and patrol Sgt. Tyler Loewen — some of the last officers to interact physically with Cochrane during his July 2019 arrest — all testified the man was struggling with a general patrol officer when they arrived on scene, but video evidence shows Cochrane actually on the ground, with officers standing nearby, but not interacting with him when the officers arrived. 

Court heard earlier the interaction started when a distressed and wide-eyed Cochrane ran into the side of a police car with a hatchet concealed in his pocket, before apologizing and running away.

Concerned, and testifying the hatchet handle looked like a gun, police would pursue and apprehend Cochrane as he tried to enter a home on Flora Avenue.

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During his arrest, in which he was shin-pinned, bound at the ankles, and handcuffed, Cochrane would soon become unresponsive and never fully recover, despite life-saving efforts by paramedics and police.

Melissa Serbin, the Cochrane family’s lawyer, says while some inconsistency in testimony is common, to see such stark differences in what is said to have happened — and what was documented on video — is problematic.

“My job as legal counsel is to get some answers to the family’s questions about exactly what happened. This is a dynamic situation, all we can go on is what we can see in the video, as well as the testimony from the officers,” said Serbin. 

“There are definitely some inconsistencies and we’re just trying our very best in our questions to get to the bottom as to what actually did occur in that backyard.”

It wasn’t the only inconsistency heard Wednesday, as who on scene noted Cochrane was first not breathing, also differed between testimony from tactical officers and Const.

Thomas Argle, who testified Tuesday, with tactical officers saying they were the ones who noticed Cochrane was not breathing, while Argle testified he asked officers to get off Cochrane, to find he was not breathing afterward. 

Earlier in the proceedings, family members of Cochrane said he was a good man and father and didn’t deserve to die the way he did, with Serbin saying the process to try and get answers has been overwhelming for the still mourning family, saying their lives have been drastically affected by his death. 

“It has had a profound impact on his parents, on his children and we heard from his daughter yesterday, just how difficult it’s been for her and her siblings.”