Christian Duckchief, 23, had facial surgery after being arrested at a house on the Siksika Reserve on April 1, 2016.
At about 6 am that morning, the Duckchief family says that Christian, his wife and four children were asleep at the home when the RCMP came to the door. They say officers surprised the family while they were sleeping, and Christian bit one of the officers, thinking he was a burgler, and they say that’s when things got rough.
"He told me on the phone, he said, Dad I felt my nose smash, he said I felt them break my nose and I was crying for them to stop, he said they wouldn't stop they just kept elbowing me over and over,” said Rosario Duckchief, Christian’s father. “What they did to my son, they changed his face, they changed how he's going to look, they hurt him so bad."
Christian Duckchief suffered fractures to his nose, head and cheek, and a broken eye socket requiring surgery, according to his family and lawyer. His lawyer says his arrest should never have happened.
"They may have been under the mistaken impression that his bail conditions prevented him from being in the residence which was not the case,” said Dale Fedorchuk, defence lawyer. “Or if they were doing an investigation of a vehicle theft from the night before, I think the question is why did they attend at 6 o'clock in the morning?”
Gleichen RCMP won't comment on these allegations unless a formal complaint is filed and the family says they're in the process of doing just that. Christian's father worries the effects this incident will have on his son's future.
"I think to myself, my sons never gonna wanna call the police again even if there is trouble. He's scared...I'm scared," he said.
Christian Duckchief is scheduled to make a court appearance in Drumheller on Wednesday where he's facing three charges: assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and breaching his bail conditions. His lawyer believes the breach of conditions is a mistake and will be seeking bail at the hearing.
