A Prince Albert man’s death is being investigated as an in-custody death, the Prince Albert Police Service said in a press release.
The man was apprehended by the police on the evening of Dec. 1 under a section of The Public Health Act. The 30-year-old was taken to police cells overnight and later taken to Victoria Hospital for assessment and treatment.
The man was apprehended under section 45.1(1) of the Public Health Act. According to this section, someone can be detained if there’s reasonable grounds to believe that the person is endangering the health and safety of the public “because the person is or probably is in infected with, or has been exposed to a communicable disease.”
The man died in hospital on Dec. 5. An autopsy was performed on Dec. 9.
The death is under investigation by the provincial coroners service, with police assistance.
Since the death is being investigated as an in-custody death, the police have requested an independent observer be appointed by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety.