A Kitwanga man who died while in custody at the Prince George RCMP detachment is being remembered as mild mannered, friendly and well versed in his First Nation's tradition and heritage.
An inquest into the Nov. 21, 2016 death of Jamie Wilford Shanoss, 51, began Monday at the Prince George courthouse.
It opened with testimony from an uncle, Art Mathews, who described his nephew as well mannered ever since he was a child.
As his uncle, Mathews said his role was to teach Shanoss how to hunt and "all the things we do in our culture."
Showing empathy and respect for the animals he hunted and refraining from confrontation with other people were among the virtues instilled in Shanoss, the inquest was told.
Whenever Shanoss was bullied, he'd walk away.
"Because we always thought that if you get mad at somebody...what you say when you're bawling somebody out, you're actually describing yourself. So we can't put anybody down, that's what it is," Mathews, a heriditary chief of the wolf clan in the Gitxsan First Nation, told the inquest.
Shanoss died in police custody, a few hours after he had been taken in for being drunk in a public place. Prior to his arrest, Shanoss had shown up at the Ketso Yoh men's shelter at First and Quebec.
Perry Mitchell, a frontline worker at the shelter, said he had known Shanoss for about 15 years and described him as "just a nice guy" who would be in a jovial mood whenever he was drinking.
"Jamie was a funny person because whenever he was intoxicated, he was happy, he was always happy," Mitchell testified. "He was always cracking jokes and laughing at his own jokes and he was always high spirits."
Shanoss was that way when he walked into the shelter sometime around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2016 looking for a place to sleep. Mitchell warned Shanoss that he'll have to be quiet because there were three other people sleeping in the room.
But about 10 minutes later, Mitchell heard a loud noise and went to the room where he found Shanoss giggling and talking to himself. Shanoss promised he would be quiet but after another 10 minutes, Mitchell heard a loud argument from the same room. Once more, Shanoss promised he would go to sleep.
Five minutes later, Shanoss was back out at the front desk where he told Mitchell he was going to go for a walk. Worried about whether Shanoss could handle the cold, Mitchell advised him to head towards the Active Support Against Poverty's Bridget Moran shelter, about a six block walk away, and Shanoss left Ketso Yoh.
By that time, a call for the RCMP's assistance had been phoned into the non-emergency number, Mitchell testified, saying he was concerned for Shanoss' safety. The temperature was hovering around the freezing point that night but video of Shanoss being processed at the detachment showed him wearing a jacket, hoodie, sweater and T-shirt as well as jeans, socks and shoes.
Shanoss had been found shortly after midnight sleeping in the entryway to Shepherd's Corner next to the Saint Vincent De Paul soup kitchen at Second and Dominion, about three blocks to the east.
Arresting officer Cst. Ewen Love testified Shanoss woke when he spoke to him and although a bit gruff and groggy at the outset, Shanoss was able to stand on his own and showed no signs of needing medical assistance.
Love described Shanoss as "essentially cooperative" and had no need to handcuff him when making the arrest and putting him in the back of the RCMP vehicle. Love agreed with inquest counsel John McNamee that Shanoss appeared a "bit wobbly" in video from the detachment.
A toxocologist later determined Shanoss' blood-alcohol level measured .38, or nearly five times the legal limit for driving. Asked if the number left him surprised, Mitchell said that while many on the street don't drink very good wine sometimes, Shanoss drank frequently and could handle himself.
"Like I say, he wasn't falling-down drunk," Mitchell said. "He could stand upright and he could walk no problem, but you knew he was intoxicated."
Love was not in a legal position to administer a breathalyser on Shanoss prior to putting him in the cell, the inquest was told. He also had no reason to ask when Shanoss had most recently had a drink because he was told Shanoss had come from the shelter.
The timeline for the events was raised throughout questioning Monday morning. The call from Ketso Yoh to the RCMP was logged at 11:34 p.m. and passed on to Love by dispatch at 12:10 a.m. Love found him less than five minutes later and by 12:32 a.m. Shanoss was in the cell.
In an interview, Mathews agreed Shanoss had his troubles with alcohol but was not going through a particularly difficult time.
"He started drinking when he came here and all his rubby friends show him how to do it, I guess, I don't know," Mathews said. "When he was back home, he was not rowdy or making noise or partying or anything. It's only when he left home and ended up here."
He said Shanoss was back in Prince George because he had met a woman.
Shanoss has been missed, the inquest heard.
"He was a nice guy and he just didn't deserve to die," Mitchell said.
In all 18 people are schedule to testify at the inquest through to Thursday. A seven-person jury will then make recommendations on how to prevent a similar death in the future.
