Guard blames 'anxiety' for moving camera away from woman who died
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Jan 18, 2023 • 2 minute read
Why did a security guard turn the surveillance camera away when patient Stephanie Warriner was pushed by peers against a Toronto General Hospital wall?
And what happened in those missing three minutes?
With manslaughter charges dropped against two guards, a jury will never be asked. But according to testimony in pre-trial transcripts, the guard operating the camera suffered “anxiety” and veered the recording device toward a hallway.
Warriner, who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”) and lived with a bipolar disorder, died 16-days after an interaction with security guards at Toronto General Hospital.
A judge dismissed charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death against two security guards, Amanda Rojas-Silva and Shane Hutley.
Security video captured some of what happened in her dispute over the placement of her COVID-19 mask before the camera moves. Moments later, she’s seen motionless in a wheelchair with her legs and feet dangling.
Transcripts of a preliminary hearing for the manslaughter case reveal that on May 11, 2020, security guard Kyle Bryson was operating the camera.
Bryson was grilled on the witness stand by assistant Crown attorney Brent Kettles.
Kettles: “At any point did you move the camera away from the incident?”
Bryson: “I did.”
Kettles: “Why did you do that?”
Bryson: “I had really bad anxiety, and … when I saw Ms. Rojas go toward the patient, like run toward the patient, I guess you could say, against the wall, I panicked, I blanked out, I just – things bothered me, I guess. I’m not really a hands-on type of person and I was just – my anxiety went through the roof and I just turned quickly. I didn’t have any sort – I had a couple of moments to like think about it, but like not long enough.”
Kettles: “So, what was it about this interaction that made you anxious?”
Bryson: “I guess the fact, that I didn’t know what was happening. That the patient may or may not have had COVID . . . My colleagues — well, at least Amanda that I saw at the time was there, and I was worried, I was worried about what could happen … I was worried what could happen to the patient or my colleagues.”
Kettles: “What bothered you about it?
Bryson: “Just the use of force part of it, I guess.”
Why did a security guard turn a security camera away when a patient was pushed by peers against a Toronto General Hospital wall?
torontosun.com