Saskatchewan's police watchdog is investigating the in-custody death of a 61-year-old man at the Kamsack RCMP detachment.The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) received notification of the possible in-custody death on June 5 evening and has launched a full investigation.The man had approached an RCMP officer during a sitting of Saskatchewan Provincial Court in Kamsack on June 3 to deal with outstanding arrest warrants for a family member, according to SIRT. He was taken into custody without incident at 12:22 pm and transported to the detachment, where he was searched and given the opportunity to speak with a lawyer before being placed in a cell at 12:43 pm..The man appeared in court via CCTV the following day and was held in custody until his next scheduled court appearance on June 6. He remained in the detachment cell until officers found him unresponsive at 7:02 pm on June 5.RCMP members checked on the man and contacted emergency medical services. Paramedics arrived at 8:37 pm and pronounced the man deceased.A five-member SIRT investigation team has been deployed to Kamsack. A community liaison will also be appointed under The Police Act, 1990..SIRT's investigation will examine police conduct during the incident, including the circumstances surrounding the man's arrest and the cause of his death.The civilian executive director accepted the case as falling within SIRT's mandate to investigate alleged cases of serious injury, death, sexual assault, or interpersonal violence arising from police actions or while an individual is in police custody.No further information will be released during the investigation. A final report will be issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation's completion.
