Jon Wells, 42, a competitive steer wrestler, also served as president of the Blood Tribe Agricultural Society
Jon Wells, 42, a member of the Blood Tribe and a well-known rodeo competitor, has been identified as the man who died after being arrested by police at a Calgary hotel last week.
Wells was an established cowboy; his proudest achievement being as champion of the 2012 Indian National Finals Rodeo Steer Wrestling Tour, according to a post on social media.
“Jon was (a) one of a kind cowboy, he had a heart of gold and a contagious smile, kind and respectful demeanour, his soft-spoken voice and calming energy that attracted many friendships from around the world,” the obituary read.
Wells also formerly served as president of the Blood Tribe Agricultural Society, driven by his “passion in horsemanship and helping others.” For 2020 and 2021, he was also the herd co-ordinator for the Blood Tribe Lands Department.
“Jon played a key role in assisting with the Kainai Iinnii Rematriation Project — The bringing back of the Buffalo,” said the obituary.
“(Jon was) always encouraging family and friends to be kind, friendly and welcoming everyone in with love and kindness.”
Dozens of people have shared thoughts, condolences and memories of Wells over social media since last week.
Officers located a man in the lobby acting “erratically” and attempted to de-escalate the situation.
“The man was not co-operative. A struggle ensued, resulting in one officer deploying a Taser,” police said. After he continued to be “combative” with officers, one officer deployed OC spray (pepper spray).
Shortly after being taken into custody the man went into medical distress, and despite the efforts of EMS, he was declared dead at the scene.
The altercation prompted an Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) investigation, standard practice for when there’s a death in police custody.
Calgary police were unable to confirm on Tuesday who died or provide further details due to the ongoing ASIRT investigation.
During an unrelated news conference last week, Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld provided comments regarding the incident.
“My thoughts are with the officers that are involved — for sure, it was a very harrowing experience — as well as the family of the individual who passed away,” Neufeld said at the time, noting the ASIRT investigation was in its early stages.
He did not provide specific details of the incident while the ASIRT investigation is continuing.