Family of man with mental illness question officers' use of force during arrest
Police watchdog investigating Alban Francis’ arrest on Dec. 28 after he was seriously injured
The family of a Toronto man with a serious mental illness says he was left unconscious and on life support after he was involved in a violent clash with police at the end of December.
Alban Francis was arrested on December 28 at an apartment building near Jane Street and Woolner Avenue after police were called about a man who attacked another man with a staple gun.
The province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) opened an investigation into Francis's arrest because he was left seriously injured.
Francis' family members, some of whom say they went to the apartment that morning when they found out police were called, say he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and the situation wasn't handled accordingly.
"The kind of force the policeman put on my brother — they should not put that force on my brother," said David Honore, Francis' brother.
"They could've handled that in a better position."
WATCH | Family questions use of force during police interaction:
The victim, who called 911 himself, was Marlon Prosper, Francis's neighbour and longtime friend.
The family doesn't know if Francis is on Toronto Police's vulnerable persons registry, a list indicating to first responders that someone requires certain care while interacting with.
But they say Francis had previous mental health episodes that police were involved in, and believe his condition was known to them or that his behaviour should have indicated that they were dealing with someone with a mental illness.
Janice Honore, Francis' niece, says she questions how police attempted to deescalate the situation given the extent of her uncles injuries.
"I'm not too sure what methods they used, but the end result, it tells me and my family that there was no deescalation to deal with mental health illness because at the end result, he's in ICU at the hospital."
Police watchdog investigating
A news release from the SIU says officers found Francis in the hallway and that he approached them with a staple gun.
One officer fired a sock round and struck Francis, and several others tried to taser him, the news release said.
Francis then barricaded himself in his apartment unit. An officer fired a gun, but didn't hit the man, the news release said.
After trying to negotiate with Francis, police eventually forced their way inside the apartment and used more conducted energy weapons and blunt impact projectiles, another type of less-lethal firearm, before eventually bringing Francis into custody.
A Toronto police spokesperson said police weren't responding to a call for a person in crisis, and received a second call for a person with a gun at the same location.
Francis was charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and with assaulting an officer, the spokesperson said.
Honore said her uncle has since been upgraded to stable condition, but his family worries about the long-term impacts of the experience and his ability to live independently. She says the right side of her uncle's face was badly injured, and he might lose his right eye.
"Pretty much his whole life will be dramatically changed," she said.
"Just thinking about it. It's just overwhelming for us."
Honore says her family wanted to speak out about what happened in the hopes that no one who suffers with mental illness has an experience with police like the one that happened here again.
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With files from Dale Manucdoc