4 years after William Ahmo's death, supporters at vigil want to ensure 'he's not just a statistic'

Four years after the death of an inmate of a Manitoba corrections facility, the sting of his death hasn't dissipated nor have the calls for justice ceased.

Friends and family of William Ahmo were among a crowd of more than two dozen supporters that gathered for a vigil in his memory outside the provincial law courts building in Winnipeg on Friday evening.

"This is just to remember that he's not just a statistic. He's just not another man who was murdered in the justice system," said Louise Menow, a close friend of Ahmo's who organized the vigil, which coincided with Aboriginal Justice Awareness Day.

Ahmo got into an altercation with corrections officers at the Headingley Correctional Centre in February 2021. The 45-year-old was taken to hospital in medical distress and taken off life support a week later.

The province's chief medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, but corrections officer Robert Jeffrey Morden was acquitted in Ahmo's death last September — nearly a year after Manitoba provincial court Judge Tony Cellitti heard the case's closing arguments.

The court was shown a video more than 20 minutes long that showed Ahmo saying "I can't breathe" more than 20 times while under restraint.

Several people who attended the vigil, including Menow, had signs around their neck with a picture of Ahmo, along with the words "I can't breathe."

The day of Ahmo's death — Feb. 14 — was already an important one for Menow, and she can't believe it's been four years since her friend died.

"It's really hard, you know, given the anniversary of his death is my sobriety date," Menow said through tears. "I just feel like that's what makes me keep going, to walk for him, to be the voice for him and many others who have gone on."

An Anishinaabe man from Sagkeeng First Nation in southeastern Manitoba, Ahmo was the son of Sagkeeng Chief E.J. Fontaine's first cousin. Fontaine knew Ahmo for most of his life and doesn't believe he deserved to die the way he did.

"We need to ensure that the tragic death of William within the justice system is not forgotten and those types of incidences need to be stopped where our people experience racism within the justice system," Fontaine told CBC News.

"By gathering like this … we're still making our voices heard by being here and ensuring that William's death is not forgotten."

Fontaine said he believes the high number of incarcerated Indigenous people is contributing to incidents like the one that took Ahmo's life.

"The way William was treated in the prison and the way he died was an awful death. [Corrections officers] ganged up on him and held him down like a dog and made him die through awful means. And those types of things should never happen to any human being — never mind an Indigenous person," Fontaine said.

The Southern Chiefs' Organization called Indigenous Justice Awareness Day an opportunity to reflect on the history and the barriers that First Nations people face while navigating the justice system, according to a statement Thursday.

"It brings attention to the systemic barriers and racial discrimination that First Nations people face and serves as a call to action for reform. This day encourages conversations and advocacy around creating a justice system that is more fair, equitable, and culturally relevant," the organization's statement reads in part.

But it will never bring Darlene Ahmo's son back.

"William's life mattered, you know, he was a human being just like everybody else, and what happened to him was really tragic and very traumatizing for me and my family," an emotional Ahmo said.

An appeal filed against Morden's acquittal was denied, Ahmo said, and the family continues to wait for an inquest, which is required by Manitoba's Fatality Inquiries Act if it's believed a person died as a result of use of force by police.

"We've been respecting the court system and we've tried our best to respect what is out there, but at the same time we're suffering in silence," she said.

While she holds onto the good memories, like her son being there for her grandson at his high-school graduation in 2018, Ahmo is saddened that he won't be present for his post-secondary graduation from the University of Manitoba this spring.

"I'm really gonna miss him being there and being so happy in front of his son."