When Eugene Creighton reflects on his memory of Jon Wells, a man he knew for years, Creighton talks about Wells's quiet and gentle nature, and the good he did for his community. He also notes Wells's skill as a rodeo competitor. Both men, who hail from the Blood Tribe in Alberta, were involved with the Indian National Finals Rodeo (INFR) with Creighton currently serving as the organization's secretary treasurer and Wells competing on the rodeo circuit for around 15 years.
Wells, a 42-year-old member of the Blood Tribe in Alberta, died earlier this month, and his death is one that's being felt deeply by his family, his community in the Blood Tribe and his peers on the rodeo circuit like Creighton. "Whenever something like this happens to any of our people in the rodeo family, it impacts all of us," Creighton said. Creighton credits Wells as being a very good steer wrestler and competitor on the INFR.
Wells's career highlight in the sport was winning the 2012 Indian National Finals Rodeo Steer Wrestling Tour championship. Jon Wells, a Blood Tribe member who died earlier this month, was the 2012 Indian National Finals Rodeo Steer Wrestling Tour champion. (Eugene Creighton) His death has been difficult for many people to process.
Wells died in custody after an altercation with Calgary police on Sept. 17 at the Carriage House Hotel and Conference Centre in Calgary. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is currently investigating the circumstances around Wells's death .
