Man who died in Calgary police custody was properly cared for: ASIRT report

An investigation into the death of a man in Calgary police custody earlier this month has concluded that officers did not contribute to his death and that he was cared for properly.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released a report on its investigation into the incident that occurred on Oct. 18.

Police were called to a McDonald’s restaurant located at 5222 130th Avenue S.E. Calgary, for a report of a disturbance.

When an officer arrived on scene, they saw the man “acting erratically.” After a brief struggle, the man was arrested while “refusing commands to comply,” according to the report.

He was eventually handcuffed and taken into custody. Police conducted a pat-down search of the man, with nothing of concern being found. He was then assessed by EMS and cleared medically.

ASIRT said the man had criminal warrants out for his arrest, including one for drug possession.

He was then taken to the Calgary Police Service Arrest Processing Section (APS). After a second patdown, a small baggie filled with a green substance believed to be heroin or fentanyl was found, ASIRT said.

A strip search was then conducted, where nothing further was found. ASIRT says the man told the paramedic on site that he had used methamphetamine and fentanyl within the past six hours.

The man was then taken to a cell around 8:30 a.m.

As part of its investigation, ASIRT reviewed the APS logs and noted that safety checks were conducted on the man at regular intervals, in compliance with policy.

ASIRT also reviewed the CCTV video of the cell the man was in.

“At approximately 3:44 p.m., the man sits on the toilet and is noted reaching between his legs, appearing to retrieve something, and immediately moving his hand to his mouth. He then flushes the toilet and moves from the toilet to lay down on the bench,” ASIRT said.

At 4:33 p.m., the man appeared to have problems breathing and went unconscious two minutes later.

Two officers entered the cell and began to check the man for a response. The APS medic arrived, did a pulse check and left the cell to retrieve medical gear. ASIRT said a CPS officer who was previously a paramedic began CPR.

The medic returned at 4:39 p.m. with their gear. An automated external defibrillator was applied, and the man was given oxygen. EMS then arrived and began medical treatment, but declared the man dead at 5:31 p.m.

An autopsy was conducted on the man on Oct. 21, where the examiner found no obvious cause of death.

“The medical examiner is awaiting further toxicology and other information to determine the cause of death,” ASIRT said.

“While this is so, there is no evidence that any officer caused or contributed to his death. Further, all the evidence supports that while in custody, the man was cared for in a proper fashion.”

ASIRT noted that no officers were designated as subjects, and the investigation is now closed.