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The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating an in-custody death at the Melfort RCMP detachment on May 6.
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SIRT said in a news release on Friday that shortly before 10 a.m. that morning, members of the Melfort RCMP responded to a disturbance at a home in Melfort where they found a 44-year-old man who was acting erratically and had injured his hand.
The man was taken into custody under the Mental Health Service Act and transported to the detachment where he was lodged in a cell around 10:14 a.m, SIRT said.
Just a few minutes later, the man was assessed by paramedics and taken to hospital unrestrained. An RCMP member followed in their vehicle.
According to SIRT, the man arrived at the hospital around 10:27 a.m. While he was being examined, another disturbance occurred and he was taken back into custody by the RCMP, but during that process a physical altercation happened.
The release said the man was handcuffed and taken back to the detachment where he was placed in a cell around 10:44 a.m.
The man remained in custody at the Melfort RCMP Detachment until approximately 5:10 p.m., when they noticed he had gone into medical distress. Officers started first aid and contacted paramedics.
SIRT said the man was moved into the cellblock hallway by RCMP members to allow for more room for first aid. Around 5:16 p.m., the paramedics had arrived and took over care before taking him to hospital at 5:36 p.m, where he was pronounced dead.
Following the notification, a SIRT team consisting of the Civilian Executive Director and five SIRT investigators was deployed to Melfort to begin their investigation examining the conduct of police during the incident including the circumstances surrounding the man’s arrest and the cause of death.
A community liaison will also be appointed pursuant the Police Act.
SIRT is a civilian-led, independent body that investigates incidents where a person has died or suffered serious injury arising from the actions of on and off-duty police officers, or while in the custody of police, as well as allegations of sexual assault or interpersonal violence involving police.
Final reports into SIRT investigations are issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending.
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