The death of Alex Joseph while being transported by B.C. Correction from Prince George to Maple Ridge has several unanswered questions.
For more than an hour as they drove through Highway 97 in the back of B.C. Corrections van, the inmates pounded on the walls, shouting for help. They were worried that Alex Joseph was dying of a drug overdose after slumping to the floor, initially snoring heavily and turning blue.
When the van pulled over, Joseph, 36-years old was unresponsive. There was a passerby who stopped and performed CPR, but he was gone.
According to his brother, Joseph Antoine, he has a lot of questions on how his brother ended up dead. The event was upsetting, and he wants to know what truly happened.
Unsolved case
According to Gordon Hansen who is in custody on fraud charges, Joseph slides off the seat and falls onto the floor. He tried slapping him to get him up, but he was snoring. In a short while, Joseph stopped snoring and his hands turned blue. Hansen checked his breathing and though the officers in the cab would see what is happening on the cameras, no one checked on Joseph. It was around 50 kilometers south of Williams Lake when the van stopped. The paramedics arrived around 40 minutes up to an hour after. Joseph was dead but still in handcuffs and shackles.
According to Andy Watson from the B.C. Coroners Service, an investigation is underway to figure out the main cause of death and any contributing factors.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a class on first aid and CPR and for more information, check out these sources:
Mayo Clinic – First Aid CPR: Basics of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation