At 8:30 that morning, the man went to the Sundre hospital and was seen by medical staff. He was assessed and admitted under the Mental Health Act. Against the directions of medical staff, he then went outside at approximately 10:30 a.m. An Alberta Health Services peace officer went with him and, as he was exiting the hospital, an altercation occurred between them.

The peace officer called police and, at approximately 11 a.m., an officer from the Sundre RCMP detachment arrived. The police officer and the peace officer spoke to the man outside of the hospital for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, and then a physical altercation occurred. The man went into medical distress and medical staff began to treat him. Their efforts were unsuccessful, however, and the man was declared deceased at approximately noon.

ASIRT’s investigation will examine the circumstances surrounding the uses of force. No additional information will be released.

As part of its ongoing investigation, ASIRT is continuing efforts to identify people who may have witnessed aspects of the confrontation between the man and police. ASIRT is asking anyone who may have been in the area and may have witnessed these events and/or may have video to contact investigators at 403-592-4306.

ASIRT’s mandate is to effectively, independently and objectively investigate incidents involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.

ASIRT

This release is distributed by the Government of Alberta on behalf of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.