WARNING: This story contains reports of a suicide.

The daughter of a man who called 911 and then killed himself hours later is suing the city of Winnipeg and a dispatcher, saying they failed to protect the man by failing to send first responders in a timely manner after he declared he was going to kill. se.

A statement of claim filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench earlier this week alleges that the 911 dispatcher, whose identity is not disclosed in the suit, was negligent and acted in bad faith, contributing to thus to the death of Daniel Fraser Rentz by failing to treat a He called 911 “with appropriate urgency” due to the nature of the call and the location in the city from which it originated.

Lily Jane Rentz, Daniel’s daughter and sole plaintiff in the lawsuit, claims the city, which operates the 911 communications center, is vicariously liable for the 911 operator’s actions and omissions that led to the death of his father.

Rentz declined to comment, but his lawyer told CBC News that his family members are “using the civil litigation process to uncover the facts surrounding their loved one’s death.”

The statement says Rentz’s father called 911 around 9:30 p.m. on November 5, 2022, with methamphetamine-induced psychosis and recent suicidal thoughts.

Rentz’s father informed the operator that he was going to commit suicide and needed emergency mental health help, but the operator did not prioritize the call and failed to defuse his suicidal thoughts and engage appropriate professional personnel to speak with him, according to the lawsuit. .

The operator also failed to implement proper protocol for responding to calls regarding suicide, the court document states.

A few hours after the call, Daniel Rentz went to a nearby gas station and retrieved two jerrycans of gasoline, then took them to the basement of his home on Logan Avenue and padlocked the door, according to the court file.

Around 1:35 a.m. on Nov. 6, Rentz’s father used the cans to create an explosion that was followed by a fire, according to the lawsuit. He died from thermal injuries caused by a gasoline accelerant.

None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been tested in court and no statement of defense has been filed.

CBC News contacted the city but declined to comment as the matter is still before the courts.

The suit seeks a total of $90,000 in general damages for Daniel Rentz’s loss of guidance, care and companionship after his death to several members of his family, including his daughter Lily and her parents.

She is also seeking special damages, funeral and burial costs and court costs.

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