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Man arrested by Wood Buffalo RCMP dies in detachment holding cell

An RCMP cruiser is seen in this file photo. An RCMP cruiser is seen in this file photo.
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Alberta's Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been called to investigate after a man died while in custody at the Wood Buffalo detachment in Fort McMurray.

The evening of March 21, RCMP officers were called to the Centre of Hope homeless shelter about a man acting erratically and committing an indecent act.

Mounties arrested the 46-year-old man, who was taken to the holding cells at the detachment.

ASIRT says the man was cooperative and did not show any signs of injury or illness.

The man had a conversation with an officer at the cell block at 11:50 p.m. before going to sleep.

He was monitored by cell guards through the night, according to ASIRT, and was noted to be breathing and occasionally moving around throughout the night.

Early the next morning, police said the man was found unresponsive in the cell.

Life-saving measures were started until EMS arrived. Despite their efforts, police said the man was declared dead.

ASIRT was notified to conduct an independent investigation.

An internal review will also be done by the RCMP. They said training, policy, police response, and the member's duty status will be subject to review.

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