Senior dies after 'physical confrontation' with police in Sundre

Alberta's police watchdog has been called in after a senior died following a physical confrontation with Mounties at a Sundre hospital.

The incident began shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday, at the Myron Thompson Health Centre.

According to the RCMP, officers were dispatched when an Alberta Health Services peace officer called for help dealing with a 72-year-old man who had become violent.

When the RCMP arrived, the physical confrontation continued and the man went into medical distress.

By about 12:20 p.m., the man was dead.

"The Alberta RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts and it’s important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent and defendable," the RCMP said in a statement.

"This is why, as soon as we became aware of this incident, we immediately notified the director of law enforcement and initiated our internal review process.

"The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the actions of the police and peace officer during this investigation."

The RCMP says it will co-operate fully with ASIRT, and will not offer further comment regarding the incident.