Police say death of man in downtown Halifax was a homicide, want video evidence

Halifax Regional Police say the recent death of an unresponsive man found in downtown Halifax was a homicide and are asking anyone with information or video from the area to contact police.

Police said Saturday that officers responded to a report of a “disturbance involving several people” in the 1700 block of Brunswick Street around 1:15 a.m. on Dec. 24.

A man was found unresponsive on the sidewalk of Prince Street, just east of Brunswick Street. He was transported to hospital, where he later died.

In a release Wednesday, Halifax Regional Police said the medical examiner service conducted an autopsy and ruled the death a homicide. The victim was identified as 31-year-old Ryan Michael Sawyer.

While police said Saturday that a man had been arrested in relation to the incident, HRP spokesperson Const. John MacLeod said in an interview Wednesday that he was released later that day with no charges.

MacLeod would not provide any more information about the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

“At this point, I wouldn’t be able to speculate where the investigation’s going to go,” he said.

Anyone with information or video who has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact Halifax Regional Police at 902-490-5020.