Date Published: 2025-10-03

Province: Nova Scotia

Police Agency: Halifax Regional Police

On February 22, 2025, Civilian Witness #1 (CW1) called Halifax Regional Police (HRP) for the fourth time in three days, advising that her son, the Affected Party (AP), was released from hospital within the last hour and was experiencing psychosis. Between February 20 and February 22, 2025, police were called and responded to four calls related to mental health concerns with the AP, a 25-year-old male.

On the morning of February 22, 2025, police attended the AP’s residence for the third time since February 20, 2025, and he agreed to voluntarily go to the hospital with EHS. Medical records show that the AP was at the hospital for over seven hours and eventually left on his own. He was triaged at approximately 9:54am. He had an initial assessment, was registered at 10:03am, and taken to a room at 2:10pm.

He saw a physician at 2:15pm. Physician notes state that on-call psychiatric staff should be called in. At approximately 7:46pm, the hospital discovered that the AP had left without being seen by psychiatric staff and contacted a family member. At that point, the AP was home with his brother and his brother’s girlfriend. They called CW1, who contacted police at 7:32pm regarding the AP’s deteriorating mental health after leaving the hospital. Police called for medical assistance from EHS on their way to the AP’s condo. Police arrived and attempted to engage with the AP. He could not be reasoned with . He threw items at the officers, they determined he should be arrested, under the Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment Act, and a struggle ensued. Police called multiple times for medical assistance from EHS during the interaction, but there was a delay in response. Subject Officer #1 (SO1) deployed a Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW/Taser) to gain control of the AP and officers put him in handcuffs at his wrists and then ankles. While police were waiting for EHS, the AP went into medical distress. Police performed CPR until firefighters and EHS arrived. The AP had gone into cardiac arrest. Life saving measures were unsuccessful and the AP died at the scene.

SiRT Concludes Investigation into Death (2025-10-03)

Serious Incident Repose Team Investigating Death in Nova Scotia (2025-02-24)

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