Colin Grey's Family Request Coroner's Inquest; Press Conference Set For Tuesday, February 11

WINDSOR, ON, Feb. 6, 2025 /CNW/ - The family of Colin Grey, a Windsor man who collapsed shortly after being released from police headquarters on October 29, 2024, is urging the coroner's office to launch a formal inquest into their loved one's untimely death.

Grey was detained by the Canada Border Security Agency (CBSA) at the Ambassador Bridge border crossing upon his return from an American Thanksgiving family gathering in Detroit due to suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and transferred to Windsor Police Services (WPS). A breathalyzer was given to Grey several times. Each time it came back negative, and each time WPS insisted it was incorrect and readministered it.

"They failed to ask a human being if he was okay — that's the first thing they should have done," said Colin's wife, Rose Grey. "Instead, they accused him of driving while under the influence. 

Despite being explicitly informed of his pre-existing condition and Colin clearly exhibiting symptoms consistent with dangerously low blood sugar levels, the WPS did not provide necessary treatment in the hours he spent in custody. Instead, he was released from Windsor Police custody to his son while in medical distress, and no ambulance was called.    

"There are far too many unanswered questions," said the family's lawyer, D. Joel Dick of Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP. "The answers the family and the public need clearly call out for an inquest. The Grey family needs this information to help them find a sense of closure, and the public deserves to know if and how negligence by authorities may have contributed to this preventable death. A tragedy such as this should have never happened, but it would add insult to injury if lessons are not learned from it."

"All options are on the table for the family in their attempt to get answers and ensure this never happens to another family," Dick explains. "But, the family strongly believes that a coroner's inquest is the best vehicle to look at the underlying public policy questions and to understand the interaction and information sharing practices between the CBSA and WPS. Mr. Grey's untimely death must not lead to an equally untimely conclusion that nothing wrong happened here and that we should move on. The public needs to trust that authorities will protect them from harm, not cause or contribute to it."

The Grey family, who made the case for an inquest in a letter to the coroner's office, is asking the public and the media for help in their campaign to get answers. They, and their lawyer, will be holding a press conference at Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino on February 11, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET to speak about their experience and the need for an inquest.

"It is difficult to talk about Colin's death because it is so fresh in our minds," says Rose, "but we know this is the best way to keep the pressure on authorities to give us answers. We want justice for my husband, and we will do everything in our power to get it for him."

SOURCE Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP

For more information on this case and/or to confirm attendance at this press conference, please contact D. Joel Dick at [email protected].