Hours after the father of an infant who died in a house fire this week spoke to reporters for a third day, neighbours of his family told CTV News they saw him taken away in handcuffs.
Just before 7 p.m. Friday, neighbours of Cordell Brown’s in-laws in southwest Edmonton told CTV News they watched as Brown was put in handcuffs by Edmonton Police Service officers, and taken away.
“We heard him say stuff like ‘I’m being accused of arson, letting the baby die…’” a neighbour said. “At one point he was sitting on the ground and the cops were adjusting his handcuffs by the look of it and then he said ‘I’d like to be taken to the hospital please’.”
Then, witnesses said Brown was taken away in an ambulance.
EPS have not confirmed why Brown was taken into custody.
CTV News spoke with Brown later Friday night, he said he was arrested and released.
The news came hours after Brown spoke to media again outside of what is left of his Ambleside home – days after his five-month-old son died, and his wife was seriously injured in a massive house fire. Brown broke down when he told reporters it feels like the end of the world.
“I’m not in a very good frame of mind mentally to deal with too much stress, I’m just dealing with every moment by itself,” Brown said.
Early Tuesday, Brown’s home in Ambleside was destroyed in a fire – eight people were in the home when the blaze started, all but two managed to escape.
Firefighters had to rescue two people, Brown’s wife Angie Tang and their 5-month-old son Hunter. Both were rushed to hospital, CTV News later learned Hunter had succumbed to his injuries.
Tang remains in hospital.
Police confirmed an autopsy had determined Hunter had died due to smoke inhalation, and the fire was arson. The Homicide and Arson Units are investigating.
Since autopsy results were released, police have remained silent on their investigation, and have not released any details on who they believe is responsible.
“In my opinion, I’m the only suspect they have right now…they only talk to me and they certainly don’t give me any information,” Brown said.
Brown also said he had spoken with his wife in hospital, and said she was only able to write messages as she still has a breathing tube. He said in one note, she described what it was like to be trapped in the upstairs bedroom unable to get away from the fire, as she held their son.
“She said that Hunter died in her arms in the closet, and she thought she had died too,” Brown said.
He said administration at the hospital Tang is being treated at, the Misericordia Hospital, had asked him to not visit Tang anymore.
A Covenant Health spokesperson at the hospital told CTV News that isn’t accurate, that he had visited his wife a number of times, he was not asked to leave, and he is welcome to come back.
“My last words to her last night was, we’re going to get new dogs, we’re gonna get a new house, and we’re gonna get more kids and we’re gonna rebuild our life piece by piece,” Brown said. “Life goes on right?”
With files from David Ewasuk
