Nearly 9,000 people have signed a petition calling for justice and change in response to how the police respond to mental health crises after an international student was fatally shot by Winnipeg police on New Year’s Eve.
On Dec. 31, around 2:30 p.m, police responded to a well-being call at an apartment building at 77 University Crescent, in Winnipeg, for reports of a man acting erratically.
Two officers went into the building and found three people inside and one of them, who was a 19-year-old man later identified as Afolabi Stephen Opaso, was armed with two knives, according to police.
Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth told reporters that officers “were involved in a use of force encounter” that led to the man being shot.
Opaso was rushed to hospital and later died of his injuries. On Tuesday, his family’s lawyer, Jean-René-Dominique Kwilu, identified him as an international student from Nigeria who was studying economics at the University of Manitoba.
Kwilu told the media that Opaso was experiencing a mental health crisis when one of the people in the suite called 911. He says that the two other people in the residence were Opaso’s friends and that they told responders it was a mental health situation and that he was not a danger to anyone.
Kwilu says the situation should have been handled by the Alternative Response to Citizens in Crisis (ARCC) program, where plain-clothes police officers are paired with mental health workers to help those in crisis in non-emergent cases.
However, in a statement to CTV News, Winnipeg police said “the incident did not meet the criteria for ARCC because the officers couldn’t ensure the situation was safe.”
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) has taken over the case and is investigating the shooting.
In response, Opaso’s family in Nigeria is shocked and traumatized and is demanding answers, according to Kwilu.
Earlier this week, a GoFundMe was created by family and friends with a goal to raise $40,000 USD.
“Afolabi was an easy going boy who was full of life. He had just moved to Canada last year to study Economics with hopes of bright future but life was taken from him by the Canadian Police. We are sad at the demise of our dear brother,” reads the post.
In addition, there is a petition created by Kaiser Biosah, calling for justice for the young fallen student.
“This incident has left a deep scar in our hearts and raised serious concerns about police brutality and racial profiling. Zigi (Opaso’s nickname) had dreams and aspirations like any other young person. He wanted to make his family proud by excelling in his studies and contributing positively to society. However, his dreams were abruptly ended due to this senseless act of violence,” the petition reads.
“We demand justice for Zigi and all victims of police brutality,” it continued.
The petition is calling upon the Canadian government to conduct an impartial investigation into Opaso’s death, hold those responsible accountable for their actions, and implement reforms within law enforcement agencies nationwide to prevent this incident from happening again.
Nearly 9,000 people have signed the petition as of publication.
Meanwhile in Toronto, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) says it continues to advocate for measures to improve crisis care.
“…People experiencing a mental health crisis need health care. Police should not be the first responders when people are in crisis in the community. Police are not trained in crisis care and should not be expected to lead this important work,” reads a statement on its website in regards to police interactions with people in a mental health crisis.
CAMH is fighting for a new direction in crisis care which includes learning from international models where people in crisis are first met by mental health responders, making strategic investments in community mental health and intervening earlier to prevent crisis escalation.
