Sask. watchdog investigates death of White Bear First Nation man in custody
49-year-old man died at the Carlyle RCMP detachment after officers arrested him
Saskatchewan's police watchdog is investigating the death of a man in RCMP custody following an incident on White Bear First Nation in the early morning of Dec. 13.
The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) said in a Monday news release the death occurred at the Carlyle RCMP detachment after officers arrested a 49-year-old man.
According to the RCMP, officers responded to a report of an assault at a residence on White Bear First Nation around 12:20 a.m. Friday, according to a news release issued the same day.
RCMP said they found two people at the home: a man with serious injuries and a woman with non-life-threatening injuries, who were both taken to hospital for treatment.
A 49-year-old man was arrested and taken to the Carlyle RCMP detachment, where he was placed in a holding cell at approximately 1:30 a.m.
RCMP say the man was monitored throughout the night, however, at around 9 a.m., they saw he was in medical distress.
Officers provided first aid until EMS arrived, and the man was pronounced dead just before 10 a.m., RCMP said.
SIRT, which investigates cases of serious injury or death involving police, confirmed it was notified of the incident at 9:20 a.m. Friday.
"A SIRT team consisting of the Civilian Executive Director and five SIRT investigators was deployed to Carlyle to begin their investigation," SIRT said in its release.
SIRT says it will release a final report to the public within 90 days of completing its investigation.
The RCMP will continue to investigate the original incident of a reported assault.