Family says slow EMS response time contributed to Winnipeg restaurant owner's death

It took 25 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at the scene of a physical altercation that claimed the life of a Winnipeg restaurant owner last month.

Kyriakos VogiatzakisThe family believes the 51-year-old man would still be alive if he had received help sooner.

“911 has devastated our family and the city of Winnipeg,” said Mike Vogiatzakis, the man's brother.

“My brother was on the street unattended for 25 minutes.”

Police said Kyriakos, owner of the Cork and Flame on Portage Avenue in Kirkfield, was pushed to the ground outside his restaurant on Jan. 24 before he passed out.

He was taken to hospital in critical condition and died there.

Winnipeg police say they were called to the incident at 5:30 p.m. Police declined to comment when asked when crews arrived at the scene.

The City of Winnipeg told CityNews that a WFPS fire truck with a firefighter-paramedic on board arrived at 5:42 p.m., but they were only allowed to enter the scene at around 5:49 p.m. because they first needed to confirm it was safe from police. for them to do it.

According to the city, an ambulance arrived at 5:55 p.m., but a second one was needed and arrived at 5:58 p.m. due to another medical emergency at the scene.

Vogiatzakis says a second ambulance had to be called because the first one didn't have a working defibrillator.

“Shouldn't 911 check their equipment before leaving the station?” said Vogatzakis.

In a statement, the city claims that “all equipment used at the scene that day was functioning properly.”

With photos of his brother in front of him Tuesday, Vogiatzakis called for better emergency response times.

“My brother is gone, we can't get him back,” he said. “But there are other citizens who need 911 and they need to be with us when we call them.”

Vogiatzakis also blames the criminal justice system for failing to punish the accused in his brother's death.

Court records show that the defendant has extensive criminal records for possession of a weapon dangerous to the public order, theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit property under $5,000, impaired driving, obstructing and resisting a police officer.

The police A 38-year-old man is charged with murder Due to the death of Kyriakos.

Frank Cormier, professor of sociology and criminology at the University of Manitoba, said: “Sometimes it's easy to understand the initial motivations that people might have, especially someone who's on bail, and then goes on to commit another crime.”

“But the alternative, the only way to make sure it never happens, is to arrest everyone accused of a crime. I don't think a lot of people would agree that this is a reasonable way to proceed.”