Oh, Canada… It was a tragedy, plain and simple. In March of 2020, Toronto hospital security guards killed Danielle Stephanie Warriner, a woman suffering from COPD, while attempting to enforce the hospital’s mask mandate. This was at the high of the pandemic panic and staffer immediately assumed that Warriner’s breathing problems were caused by COVID.
The security guards, who were wearing PPE, had approached Warriner, who was in the hospital lobby, and demanded that she put on a mask. Warriner, who was having difficulty breathing, had difficulty complying, and so the guards, instead of offering her aid, threw her against the wall.
I have watched the footage. Just for reference, Warriner clearly has a mask on but it is low on her face as she struggles to breathe. Just before she is tackled she can be seen pulling the mask up in an effort to comply with their demands. I have included the video below: HUGE trigger warning.
Witnesses reported that the guards then threw Warriner to the ground and restrained her in a manner similar to George Floyd, with a knee to the back. Warriner was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, she was simply a 125-pound woman with breathing difficulties.
In the middle of the incident, one of the guards had the presence of mind to turn the security camera away, an action which was later revealed to be an attempt to hide what was happening. A further investigation later revealed that a different guard had lied to police about what happened and was forced to admit to deceiving investigators when he was shown security footage contradicting his statement.
Warriner was presumed to have COVID-19 and had her mask down. Video shows guards confronting her. Less than three minutes later after the altercation, she's wheeled away unconscious – never to wake up again. https://t.co/3OPo4HeS88
— The Real Andy Lee Show (@RealAndyLeeShow) January 14, 2023
It was a senseless and avoidable tragedy. Warriner was in the hospital, seeking treatment for her breathing problems and instead of being offered aid, she was met with violence. While the guard responsible for the camera deception apologized, saying that he would have never said the things he said if he had known there was a video, it does little to console the family of the deceased woman.
The guards had been accused and were awaiting trial when an Ontario judge made the rare decision to dismiss the case, stunning almost everyone.
“Amanda Rojas-Silva, 42, and Shane Hutley, 35, had been charged with manslaughter and criminal negligence in Warriner’s death — charges they denied, saying they used only the force necessary to gain a hold of her.
Now, those charges have been dropped after a judge concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to take the case to trial — a decision CBC News has learned the Crown won’t appeal.
That’s despite the available video footage, two security staff who testified the accused placed weight on her upper body while she was held chest down, a forensic pathologist who testified Warriner would still be alive had she not been restrained that day — and revelations one of the guards admitted he falsely claimed Warriner threw the first punch.”
“A coroner’s report would conclude Warriner died from a brain injury resulting from a lack of oxygen “due to restraint asphyxia following struggle and exertion,” with her underlying lung disease a possible factor.
“But for her interaction with the Applicants, Ms. Warriner would likely be alive today,” the forensic pathologist testified at the preliminary hearing, according to the Crown.
Lawyers for the accused argued the forensic pathologist lacked the expertise to come to that conclusion.
Still, in quashing the case, Superior Court Justice Sean Dunphy noted, “There is evidence that death could have been the culmination of the factors he described.”
Watch [Warning: Disturbing content]
I can’t say that I am surprised to see the judge toss this case. Canada bordered into the realm of tyranny during the pandemic including raiding the homes of its citizens who were accused of having house guests over. It’s just so sad that there is zero accountability.
