Inquest in Death of Canoe Lake Teen Underway

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 09:09

The first witness has taken the stand at the inquest into the death of a Canoe Lake teenager.

Eval Lariviere took the stand today carrying a photograph of his late son Kyle.

The 19-year-old male teenager died of exposure after escaping from RCMP custody on January 10th of 2009.

Eval stressed his son had voluntarily gotten into an RCMP cruiser that night.

He also stated he thought Kyle would be put into a cell at the Canoe Lake detachment.

He was surprised to learn Kyle was taken to the Beauval detachment instead.

Meantime, speaking to reporters, Kyle’s mother, Doreen Lariviere, says she blames herself for the tragedy.

She feels her son would be alive today if she had not called the RCMP that night asking for their assistance.

Four men, including an Aboriginal man, and two women are presiding over the inquest.

Saskatoon lawyer Richard Danyliuk is acting as the coroner.

A smudging ceremony was held before the start of the inquest, which is scheduled to run throughout the week.