Man dies in RCMP custody; Alberta police watchdog now investigating

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate after a man died while in custody of the RCMP over the weekend.

At around 2:45 a.m. Saturday, a 32-year-old man who was in custody for drug-related offences at the Fort McMurray RCMP detachment asked to make a phone call.

The man was moved into a secure room to make the call and about four minutes later, RCMP entered the room after hearing a noise, according to a media release from the province.

Officers found the man on the floor in medical distress. He was treated by paramedics on scene and taken to hospital where he died about two hours later.

The man had no visible signs of trauma or injury, the province said.

The man’s name has not been released.

ASIRT is called in to investigate incidents or complaints involving serious injury or death of any person that may have resulted from the actions of a police officer.