New Westminster Police Service officers have been summoned to Fort St. John to investigate the death of man who was in RCMP custody.
The 46-year-old man died Friday evening after being taken into custody around 5 p.m.
According to Fort St. John RCMP the man was placed in a cell at the local detachment. A series of routine checks were conducted on the man and at one point during the evening he was observed to be unresponsive. Police gave medical assistance and called paramedics but the man was pronounced dead. It is unknown at this time what the cause of death is.
According to a press release from New Westminster Sgt. Gary Weishaar, local officers left for Fort St. John on Saturday afternoon. They are expected to remain there for several days to interview witnesses.
Separate municipal or RCMP police departments typically investigate incidents of police-involved death or serious injury, however that practice is expected to come to an end. In May, Solicitor General Shirley Bond announced that the province will create a civilian-led Independent Investigations Office to handle those serious incidents. Creating such an office was one of the key recommendations in the Braidwood Report, following the Tazer-related death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport, though the office is not yet up and running.
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