A report investigating the death of a man shortly after being released from Fort Macleod RCMP custody has been completed, March 10, 2023. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Report finds Fort Macleod man’s death not due to time in RCMP custody

Mar 11, 2023 | 3:00 PM

FORT MACLEOD, AB – The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has completed its investigation into an incident where a man died shortly after being in the custody of Fort Macleod RCMP.

A report by ASIRT Assistant Executive Director Matthew Block outlines the details of the incident and provides an analysis into the actions taken by the law enforcement agency.

Block says the RCMP was called in the evening of October 4, 2020, after a man was found on the ground outside of the Fort Macleod Public Library.

According to the report, the man told the two attending officers that he had a number of health conditions, including diabetes and pneumonia. The officers said they believed the man might have been intoxicated.

The man was taken to a local hospital for assessment and was discharged approximately two hours later.

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The RCMP officers say they tried to take the man to a home where he said he was staying, but the other residents would not allow him inside. Police say the man was then placed in an RCMP holding cell for the night.

While the man was being processed by the officers at the RCMP detachment, the report states that he slipped and fell, but did not appear to be injured. The report states there was no contact from any officers before the man fell.

Police say the man was released the following morning and was taken to the same house where the man said he was staying. One of the residents agreed to let him stay there.

The report states later that evening, the same resident went to check on the man, and said he did not appear to be breathing. The report says the resident performed CPR until an ambulance arrived, but the man was pronounced deceased at the scene.

An autopsy conducted on October 10, 2020, found that the man’s death was due to natural causes and was related to his pre-existing health conditions.

For his report, Block says he considered the possibilities of force by the RCMP officers and criminal negligence being factors in the man’s death, but found no evidence to support either claim.

Block concludes his report by stating that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that any criminal offence was committed.

The full report from ASIRT is available on the Government of Alberta website.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now