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RCMP Officers Cleared in Death Case
12 Jun
Summary
- Man arrested for domestic assault died in cell.
- Autopsy found death due to drug and alcohol toxicity.
- Provincial watchdog cleared officers of wrongdoing.
Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers have been cleared of wrongdoing by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) in connection with the death of a 49-year-old man in custody.
The incident occurred on December 13, 2024, when police responded to a domestic assault complaint on White Bear First Nation. Upon arrival, they found an injured individual and arrested another man who was described as intoxicated.
At the detachment, the arrested man became unresponsive and was placed in a cell. Staff monitored him frequently overnight. He was found unresponsive the next morning and pronounced deceased.
An autopsy revealed the man died from the combined toxicity of ethanol and multiple drugs, which had depressive effects on his respiratory and central nervous systems. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was also noted as a contributing factor.
The SIRT report concluded that while the man was heavily intoxicated, the arresting officers could not have reasonably known his intoxication posed an immediate life risk.
