SIRT clears RCMP after Sask. man dies in custody

Saskatchewan police watchdog says no charges will be laid after a man died in RCMP custody in Carlyle in December 2024.

The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) says a 49-year-old man was arrested at around 12:20 a.m., on Dec. 13 on White Bear First Nation after an alleged assault on his 24-year-old son.

According to SIRT, the man appeared intoxicated but was cooperative. He was then arrested without the use of force and taken to the Carlyle RCMP detachment, where he was placed in a cell around 1:30 a.m.

SIRT says the man was monitored by a civilian guard and RCMP officers over several hours. He was found unresponsive shortly after 9 a.m., and officers began CPR until paramedics arrived.

The man was pronounced dead at 9:55 a.m.

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An autopsy determined the cause of death was the combined effects of alcohol and multiple drugs with respiratory and central nervous system depressive effects.

“The affected person was also determined to have atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease which contributed to his death,” SIRT said.

SIRT says video evidence and witness accounts show the man was regularly checked while in custody and that officers responded appropriately once he went into medical distress.

The watchdog concludes there are no grounds to believe any officer committed a crime.