Thursday, March 28, 2024

Police watchdog investigating after Courtenay man dies while in custody

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The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO BC) have been activated to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of a man while in custody in Courtenay over the weekend.

At around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 23rd, Comox Valley RCMP attended a residence in the 3300-block of Kentwood Road and arrested a man who was alleged to be trespassing.

Officers located and arrested one man who was believed to be intoxicated and brought him to RCMP cells without incident.

At about 1:15 p.m. the same day, the man was found to be in medical distress during a wellness check.

According to RCMP, a guard noticed that the man was sitting against a wall and was not responsive. Officers provided first aid until paramedics arrived and took over providing medical aid before transporting the man to hospital where he died on April 24th.

The IIO BC were notified shortly thereafter and are investigating to determine what role, if any, police’s actions or inactions may have played in the man’s hospitalization, prior to his death.

Due to the ongoing investigation by the IIO BC, police said no further information will be released.

This is the second case in which the IIO were called to investigate on Vancouver Island this weekend.

On Friday, an allegedly intoxicated man was seriously injured while at the Nanaimo RCMP detachment. The man was arrested earlier that day after he became verbally aggressive to a fellow tenant at a home on Wesley Street.

According to RCMP, the man became aggressive while being checked in to the cells and an altercation ensued between him and a police officer.

The IIO is asking any person with relevant information of the incident to please contact the Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.

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Victoria Buzz Staffhttps://www.victoriabuzz.com
Your inside source for Greater Victoria happenings. Established in 2012.

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