SUMMERSIDE – The family of a Summerside man who was shot and killed by police on Sunday say they have more questions than answers as the investigation into the man’s death continues.
Jannett Jones, sister of 32-year-old Jeremy Stephens who died in hospital after an altercation with police, says while he had his troubled past, Stephens wouldn’t have hurt anybody.
“He had been to jail before. He used drugs. He could be a difficult person. But Jeremy did not deserve this.”
Stephens was under investigation by Summerside Police Services in relation to a robbery and assault that took place at the Quality Inn in Summerside around midnight on Sunday.
Police later located Stephens and another suspect at a Duke Street residence.
“He was shot six times. That’s what the doctor told us. Twice in the chest, two in the leg, one in the arm and one in the hand. The bullets shattered internally,” said Kim Baglole, Stephens’s aunt.
“We see all the time mass shootings or something like this happens and a person may be shot once. There were six bullets for Jeremy.”
The release issued by police did not state how many shots were fired, only that two officers discharged their firearms.
Jones and Baglole say they didn’t know police were involved in the shooting when they arrived at the hospital.
“We thought police had received a report about shots fired, found him, and learned that the ambulance wasn’t going to be able to get to him in time, so they put him in the cruiser and took him to PCH,” said Jones.
Baglole added, “At the time, the ambulance was in Bedeque.”
After Stephens was released from surgery, Jones, Baglole and other family members swarmed around him.
“We were told surgeons from Halifax were looking at his scans before Life Flight took him to a hospital in Halifax because PCH couldn’t handle the severity of his condition. But the surgeons didn’t like the results,” added cousin Miranda Turnquest quietly.
Quickly, Stephens’s condition began to decline.
“It was all so fast. One minute they’ve opened the doors to wheel him out to the helicopter and then there was a code blue,” said Baglole.
Jones added, fidgeting with a balled-up tissue in her hand, “When I heard that code I just started to scream. We just pleaded with them to let us spend his last minutes with him.”
Jones, crying added, “He was covered in blood. It was coming out of his mouth, everywhere. I just remember them counting and counting and then yelling switch because the people conducting CPR would trade out every few minutes.”
Now left reeling, the family is looking for answers.
“Why wasn’t backup called if they were watching the house for an hour? Why not use a different tool? Why their guns?” asked Baglole.
She added, “Everybody else got to go home. My sister lost a son. Why hasn’t someone apologized to her? Why can’t we know what happened?”
Jones says she wants justice for her brother. She’s started sharing the hashtag, #JusticeForJeremy.
“I don’t want people to forget him and let this go. It’s not OK. They don’t have to live with this like us. And I know it’s not all [the officers’] fault, but they know all the details that I don’t know. I work with them every day. It’s become a breach of trust.”
Wiping away tears, she continued, “This is his legacy now. He will always be known to the public as the guy who was shot six times by the police.”
Turnquest added, “I just hope nobody forgets his smile.”
Summerside Police Service said they could not comment on the shooting while an ongoing investigation the incident is being conducted by Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team. Comments regarding the shooting will come from SiRT.
