Investigation
HRP Public Intoxication Case Resulting in Death
Date Published: 2016-01-18
Province: Nova Scotia
Police Agency: Halifax Regional Police
Summary
On September 5, 2013, at 12:42p.m., Halifax Regional Police (HRP) responded to a complaint of an intoxicated male near Sylvia Avenue in Halifax. They arrested a 52-year-old man, the Affected Person (AP), for public intoxication under the Liquor Control Act. He was then taken to HRP cells where he was to be held to be released when sober. At approximately 6p.m., the man was found by a guard to be breathing but unresponsive to the guard’s attempts to wake him. EHS was contacted and transported the man to hospital. When the individual’s condition was confirmed by medical personnel to be serious, HRP contacted SiRT at 9:30p.m. SiRT commenced its investigation of the matter at that time. AP died on September 8, three days after his arrest. During the investigation, SiRT investigators obtained statements from six civilian witnesses, and eight witness police officers. SiRT obtained the autopsy results, examined and photographed the scene, obtained and reviewed video from a local Nova …