SIRT report clears RCMP of wrongdoing in 2024 Carlyle in-custody death

An investigation by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) into an in-custody death in Carlyle has found no offences were committed by any police officers involved.

An incident, which happened around 12:20 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2024, called police to a home on White Bear First Nation where two people were found injured and taken to hospital.

A man had sustained serious injuries while a woman’s wounds were classified as “non-life-threatening.”

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A 49-year-old man from White Bear First Nation was arrested without incident and was taken to the Carlyle Detachment cells. Police said he was monitored by staff throughout the night but found in medical distress around 9:07 a.m.

The man was given first aid until the arrival of paramedics, but was then declared dead. His family was notified, RCMP said at the time.

SIRT received notification of the incident around 9:20 a.m. and accepted it as within the team’s mandate to investigate. Five SIRT investigators and the team’s civilian executive director responded on Dec. 13 to begin the investigation.

On Thursday, SIRT announced the completion of that investigation and shared its final report into the matter.

According to the final report, SIRT’s investigation was “comprehensive and thorough,” with all relevant witnesses interviewed, the scene examined and all appropriate evidence seized.

Five RCMP members were designated as witness officers and seven civilian witnesses – the detachment’s civilian guard, EMS staff who responded to the Carlyle detachment, family members of the deceased and others who were present in the home at the time of the arrests – were interviewed as part of the investigation.

Documents like cell logs, RCMP file contents and prisoner reports confirmed the timeline of the events during the incident, according to the SIRT report, as well as “observations recorded during the regular checks of the affected person in his cell.” Extensive video footage was also seized and examined.

An autopsy conducted shortly after the death of the man in custody found the man had died from “the combined toxicity of ethanol and multiple drugs with respiratory and central
nervous system depressive effects.”

The autopsy also found the man had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is said to have contributed to his death.

Further information provided in the final report shared that the incident police were responding to, initially, was a domestic assault complaint. When officers arrived, they were told the man who they would eventually arrest had assaulted his 24-year-old son, who was “bleeding significantly from a head wound” and found lying on the floor. One RCMP member provided medical treatment to the son and went with him to the hospital. Two other officers dealt with the 49-year-old man.

The man was described as “appearing intoxicated and behaving in an agitated manner” in the report. He was informed he was under arrest and told to turn around. He complied and was put in handcuffs without incident, the report stated. An officer escorted the man outside to a police vehicle.

“While the affected person appeared unsteady on his feet as he was escorted out of the residence, he walked from the residence to the police vehicle under his own power, and at no time was any physical force used during the affected person’s arrest or movement to the vehicle,” the report said.

Outside the police vehicle, the man was searched and asked police to adjust his handcuffs, to which an officer loosened the man’s right cuff. The man then got into the police vehicle “under his own power.”

The man was informed of the reason for his arrest and “provided with his legal rights and warnings” around 1:09 a.m., after which an RCMP officer radioed that he was en route to the Carlyle detachment with the man in custody. The vehicle arrived at the detachment around 1:27 a.m. and was able to exit the vehicle, once again under his own power.

“After walking into the cellblock area from the secure bay, the affected person stopped and dropped down to his knees, before lying on his back. Verbal and physical efforts to get him to stand were unsuccessful and one of the Subject Officers removed the affected person’s handcuffs, at which time he returned to a seated position,” the report detailed.

“Unable to convince the affected person to stand, the two Subject Officers pulled the affected person by his arms to the open cell door in a semi-seated position and finally pulled him inside the cell while the affected person remained in a reclined position. Once inside the cell, the affected person was searched with the use of a metal detection wand, and his shoes and a drawstring from his pants were removed for safety.”

The cell door was closed and locked around 1:33 a.m. and an officer monitored the man until a guard arrived around 2:15 a.m. and assumed responsibility for monitoring the man over the next six-and-a-half hours, which included 34 physical checks.

The guard reported hearing the man sleeping and snoring loudly. She left the detachment around 8:45 a.m., transferring responsibility and notifying RCMP officers on shift at the time. A check on the man at 8:55 a.m. reported seeing the man breathing.

“At approximately 9:07 a.m., another RCMP member checked on the affected person and, unsure if he could see the affected person breathing, entered the cell to check on the affected person, finding him unresponsive,” the reported stated.

“After unsuccessfully attempting to rouse the affected person, RCMP members performed CPR on the affected person until EMS entered the affected person’s cell at approximately 9:26 a.m. and assumed responsibility for his care. At approximately 9:55 a.m., the affected person was pronounced deceased by EMS.”

In the report’s analysis, it stated that the evidence assessed offered “no reasonable basis to suggest that any use of force by police occurred during the arrest of the affected person,” with civilian witnesses describing the arrest as happening “without incident” and noting the man willingly cooperated with police.

The autopsy also noted the absence of any “recent significant injuries” to the man’s body.

“Following a review of the totality of the evidence in this case, and considering in particular the issues of the conduct of the affected person’s arrest, the ongoing monitoring of the affected person while he remained in custody, and the reaction of police once it was determined that the affected person was unresponsive, there are no grounds to believe any police officer committed any Criminal Code offence during the course of this incident and no charges will be laid,” the report concluded.