Teen had argument with group home resident a day before disappearing: inquest
Police were called to a Hamilton group home the day before an Indigenous teen went missing, after he and another resident got into a heated argument that culminated in damage to several items, a coroner's inquest heard Thursday.
Scott Shewfelt, a youth worker at the Lynwood Charlton Centre's Flamborough location, testified Devon Freeman was upset and crying on Oct. 6, 2017, because some of the other youth at the home had made "negative comments" about his late mother.
By the time Shewfelt's shift started that afternoon, Freeman and one youth were locked in a "drawn-out argument," he said. At one point, Freeman took the other youth's crutch and hit it against a wall, and damaged the doorknob to a bedroom as well as a video game controller, he said.
Shewfelt said he placed his body between the two in an effort to defuse the situation. Staff called police over the property damage, he said.
Later, Shewfelt said he went to talk to Freeman and made an effort to validate the teen's feelings, sharing his own grief over the recent loss of his wife.
"I was trying to let him know that I understand where he's coming from," he testified.
Freeman seemed to feel better by the end of the conversation and there was no indication he wanted to leave the site, he said.
"I felt comfortable when I left him that night that Devon and I had made a breakthrough," he said.
Under cross-examination, the youth worker was asked whether he had sought any additional mental health support for Freeman's apparent "intense grief response" that day. He replied that in hindsight, he "should have went further" to do so.
Freeman, who was 16 at the time, went missing from the home on Oct. 7 and his body was found on the property more than six months later, in April 2018. An autopsy determined he died by hanging.
On Wednesday, jurors heard police weren't told of Freeman's history of suicidal thoughts or that he had attempted to end his life earlier that year.
The inquest also heard that officers who responded to the Oct. 6 incident did not charge Freeman with mischief under $5,000 that day, opting instead for a diversion program.
But according to a report on the incident dated Oct. 22, Shewfelt told police Freeman's behaviour towards staff worsened after the officers left, coroner's counsel said Wednesday. Police then decided Freeman no longer qualified for the diversion program and issued a warrant for his arrest on the mischief charge.
Jurors were also told Freeman had been reported missing from the home dozens of times that year, and often wouldn't return for days.
In his testimony Thursday, Shewfelt said Freeman leaving the property was a "common problem."
"Normally it was because he was being held accountable for a comment or behaviour," the youth worker said.
Usually, as soon as staff realized he had left, they would search the building and then the property, he said.
Someone would also usually try to follow Freeman to monitor his safety and encourage him to come back, but the teen would take steps to elude staff, including venturing onto private property, he said.
The inquest is not sitting Friday in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is set to resume Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.