Guards charged in hospital death
Family of woman says quest for accountability is only just beginning
The family of a woman who died following an altercation with security guards at Toronto General Hospital say they are encouraged police have laid charges but vow that their quest for accountability is only beginning.
They want an inquest into the circumstances of Danielle Stephanie Warriner’s death and a full examination of the training that security guards at hospitals receive.
“I’m praying for justice for my sister and, further to that, praying for some real change within the security world,” said Denise Warriner, Danielle’s sister.
Toronto police announced Tuesday two security guards have been charged with manslaughter and criminal negligence in connection with Warriner’s death on May 27.
Police said only that there had been a “physical interaction” between Warriner, 43, and security guards and that she went into “medical distress.”
A coroner’s report recently obtained by the family offers more details but an incomplete picture — notably because a video surveillance camera was “purposely turned away” during part of the altercation.
According to the report, Warriner, who had a history of bipolar disorder, drug use and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was first admitted to the hospital on April 25 after testing positive for COVID-19.
She was discharged May 6 but returned four days later complaining of a cough, shortness of breath and confusion.