HALIFAX, N.S. – A Nova Scotia corrections officer testified today that he did not know a man who died in custody 30 hours after being Tasered by Halifax police was schizophrenic nor that he had been hit with the stun gun.
Ian Prall responded to a call for help from corrections officers at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility on Nov. 22, 2007, as they struggled with Howard Hyde, who was being held on an assault charge.
An inquiry into Hyde’s death has heard that the 45-year-old was escorted down a corridor to a nearby cell, where another struggle ensued and he blacked out, never regaining consciousness.
Under questioning today by lead counsel Dan MacRury, Prall testified he was told that Hyde had been pacing in his cell all night.
But Prall said he was not aware of a shift change notification that read: “Howard Hyde seems out of his marbles.”
Prall later told Kevin MacDonald, a lawyer who represents Hyde’s family, that he might have contacted a nurse if he had been told about Hyde’s behaviour and officers suggested he might need health care.
