Man dead after Alberta RCMP fire stun gun during arrest

Alberta RCMP say a man died in custody this week after being shot at with a stun gun during his arrest.

Slave Lake RCMP say they were dispatched to a local business on Oct. 12 for complaints of a man acting erratically and damaging property.

The Mounties say officers tried to arrest the suspect but he resisted, leading to an altercation and use of a conductive energy weapon.

In a news release, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said officers arrived at 3:44 p.m.

ASIRT said after the 50-year-old  man was on the ground and handcuffed, he “went into medical distress” shortly afterwards.

RCMP said officers noticed the man had become unresponsive and he was later declared dead, despite life-saving measures and assistance from paramedics and fire services.

The RCMP says it immediately notified the Director of Law Enforcement and initiated its internal review process, and ASIRT will conduct an investigation into the death.

RCMP training, policy, the police response and the member’s duty status will all be part of the review.

ASIRT is trying to identify people who may have witnessed or recorded aspects of the confrontation between the man and RCMP. The agency is asking anyone with information or video to contact investigators at (780) 644-1483.

With a files from Global News