Death of male in St. Paul RCMP custody under investigation

A male in St. Paul RCMP custody was found unresponsive in his cell and has died.

According to the RCMP, ” On Jan 10, at approximately 5:41 a.m., St. Paul RCMP received a report of suspicious activity on 51 Avenue near 55 Street. As a result of the investigation a male was arrested on outstanding arrest warrants originating from St. Paul RCMP and Edmonton Police Service.”

The male was transported to St. Paul RCMP Detachment at 6:33 a.m., where he was to remain pending the results of a Judicial Interim Release Hearing.

The RCMP says, “Throughout the male’s stay in cells, regular wellness checks were conducted.”

On Jan. 10,  at approximately 9:02 p.m., an RCMP officer was conducting a wellness check of prisoners in the cell block and observed that the male was unresponsive. The officer started and continued CPR until Emergency Medical Services arrived at 9:15 p.m.

Despite EMS’ efforts, the male was pronounced deceased at 9:45 p.m.

The Director of Law Enforcement was notified and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate this in-custody death.

The investigation related to the execution of outstanding warrants remains with the St. Paul RCMP.

“The RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it’s important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable,” the RCMP stated.

The RCMP’s internal review process, in conjunction with the ASIRT process, has been implemented to gather a full account of what took place leading up to this in-custody death. RCMP training, policy, police response, and any involved officers’ duty status will be subject to review.

The RCMP is, of course, fully cooperating with ASIRT and will not be commenting further on this matter.