The family of Oscar Bartholomew, who died after an alleged beating by Grenada police last week, will launch a civil suit against the force.

Lawyer Derick Sylvester confirmed on Tuesday that Bartholomew’s family will sue for wrongful death. He did not say when the suit will be filed.

Bartholomew, a 39-year-old Toronto man, had traveled to Grenada to visit family over the holidays. He was allegedly beaten into a coma by officers on Dec. 26, after hugging a policewoman he mistook for a friend. He died in hospital the next day.

While other family members want to pursue a lawsuit, Peter Hypolite, Bartholomew’s father, said he feels it is too soon. His focus is on the ongoing investigation.

“I’m only thinking about what caused (Bartholomew’s death) to happen and what will be the result,” he said from his Ajax home.

On Tuesday, five officers arrested in connection to Bartholomew’s death appeared in court in Grenada’s capital, St. George’s.

No bail was granted after authorities determined the inquiry should be heard in a different jurisdiction, said Grenada Police superintendent Dunbar Belfon. The officers, all charged with manslaughter, did not enter pleas.

They were remanded to Richmond Hill prison.

A preliminary inquiry will be heard Friday in St. David’s, where the alleged beating occurred. Belfon expects the defence to apply for bail.

During the Tuesday hearing, hundreds of protesters petitioned in front of a nearby police station, calling for the accused officers to be found guilty.

At a news conference later in the day, Sylvester implored Grenadians to respect the island nation’s police force.

“We should all be tempered,” he said.

At another news conference, Anselm Clouden, a lawyer representing one of the charged officers, recommended that Grenada’s government find a Caribbean-Canadian jurist to oversee the investigation into Bartholomew’s death.

“That would assist in appeasing Canada and letting Canada know that we live under the rule of law,” he said.

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Bartholomew’s funeral has been scheduled for Jan. 9 at a Roman Catholic church in Grenada.

With files from The Canadian Press