Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating the circumstances that preceded a man’s death in Medicine Hat on Sunday.
At around 2 p.m., the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) received a call of a man screaming and swinging a machete.
When police arrived at an apartment at 144 Second Avenue Southeast, they spoke with a 44-year-old man, telling him he was under arrest for possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said the man ignored police directions and barricaded himself into a residence.
The MHPS tactical team spoke with the man after arriving and police he left the home holding a machete and a knife, advancing towards police officers.
ASIRT said the tactical team used non-lethal rounds on the man and restrained him. Police found two weapons at the scene.
ASIRT said just after 8 p.m., the man was transported to hospital and handed off to the hospital staff.
“At approximately 8:56 p.m., the man stopped breathing,” ASIRT said in a statement on Thursday. “Emergency medical measures were unsuccessful, and the man died.”
The police oversight body said it will examine the use of force by police officers.
ASIRT asks anyone who may have witnessed the interaction between police and the man or who may have video to call their investigators at 403-592-4306.
Comments