Edward James Waddell

Image Credit: Springfield Funeral Home

The mother of a man who died in Kelowna RCMP custody in 2017 said her son had a dangerous temper, but she looks back on him warmly.

Gwen Mercer arranged for a friend to read aloud a statement Mercer wrote about her son Edward Waddell, 40, for a coroners inquest into his death while in custody. Mercer wasn't in the room, but Mae Clowe read the statement in a Kelowna courtroom at the outset of the proceedings today, June 12.

"Eddie lit up a room when he entered. He had a presence," she said in the statement. "He was always the main attraction, and not by wanting to be, it was just that way."

Mercer's statement continued to say Waddell spent years in and out of prison and he had a quick temper.

"Make no mistake, Eddie was a hard, tough man, who could put fear in those around him," Clowe read to the courtroom. "He had a gear that only saw red and he hurt a lot of people."

There's been no suggestion so far he was involved in a violent altercation with police before his death.

Waddell was arrested on March 31, 2017, for suspected impaired driving.

Todd Kunz, a paramedic who treated him that afternoon, responded to a collision on McCulloch Road around 4:30 p.m. He believed Waddell was high on some kind of opiate, nodding off while at the scene, but not seriously injured physically. A firefighter at the scene also found evidence of drug use inside the car, Kunz said.

Kunz tried to take Waddell to the hospital but he refused and signed medical release papers before police arrived at the scene, Kunz told the inquest jury.

Kelowna RCMP officer, Const. Troy Bevan, later arrived at the scene and found Waddell appeared to be "on the nod," which is a sign of opioid intoxication. A drug user's chin will often dip to their chest, appearing to fall asleep, but they will be alert and attentive when spoken to. His description matched what Kunz said about Waddell's state.

Bevan, however, did not seize any opioids from the scene and did not see the supposed evidence of drug use inside the car. 

Once he was in custody, Waddell asked for medical attention and he was taken to hospital. He was cleared again sometime that night.

Dr. Meredith Davidson saw him in the emergency department that night, where he was taken around 8 p.m. 

She said he tested OK when she checked his vital signs and there were no obvious signs of injuries in his chest or neck, but it was chest pains that prompted his visit to the hospital.

He was returned to the old Doyle Avenue Kelowna RCMP detachment around 11 p.m. The jury was shown security footage of Waddell surrendering his possessions and his clothes inside the search room before he changed into a prisoner's orange jumpsuit. Bevan said believed he had no reason to strip search Waddell before he was sent to his cell.

It's not yet clear what killed him but he was found dead in his cell the next morning, April 1.

His partner at the time, Raija Arvi, had lived with Waddell in Kelowna for about two months when he died. She told the inquest jury he was driving her car and was on his way to pay their rent. He didn't return home but later called her from the hospital and Waddell told her he totalled her car.

The landlord told Arvi the next day he did show up to pay their rent but it wasn't the full amount. Arvi guessed he might have used it to buy drugs that day but she didn't know for certain. She also said he had been going to a methadone clinic and she trusted he was taking care of his addiction issues.

The inquest has not yet heard what a coroner determined might have been the cause of his death. More than two dozen witnesses are scheduled to testify during the hearing scheduled for six days and wrapping up on Monday, June 19. Along with the coroner, the witnesses will include doctors, RCMP officers and the chief civilian director for BC's police watchdog.

The Independent Investigations Office of BC, which investigates serious injuries and deaths in police custody, determined there was no criminality in Waddell's death during its investigation.

The inquest has three primary functions, according to the coroner's service. It will determine the facts surrounding his death, including the cause. It will also serve to make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances and to ensure public confidence that the circumstances Waddell's death would not be overlooked, concealed or ignored.

— This story was updated at 4:50 p.m., June 12, 2023, with more information from the hearing.

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