Inquest: Meth Lethal in First Nations Man's Death

A Manitoba judge's inquest determined that the in-custody death of Lawrence Beaulieu on October 30, 2020, was unavoidable. Provincial court Judge Cindy Sholdice stated that lethal amounts of methamphetamine in Beaulieu's system caused a heart attack after his arrest. The report indicated that "there was simply nothing that could have been done to save him that day." Beaulieu, 27, was arrested after reports of him threatening people with a machete.

Officers noted signs consistent with meth use during his arrest. Despite concerns about his agitated state, police took him to the detachment rather than directly to a hospital. He stopped breathing in a jail cell and was later pronounced dead at Ste. Rose du Lac hospital. A pathologist confirmed that "more than double the lethal threshold" of meth was present, leading to the fatal heart attack.

During resuscitation attempts at the hospital, staff disconnected a crucial cable for maintaining artificial heart pacing. The pathologist did not identify police actions or the cable disconnection as contributing factors to his death. The only recommendation made was for the local hospital and health authority to conduct regular mock code scenarios for emergency personnel.