Released on May 8, 2024
On Sunday May 5, 2024, at approximately 1:20 p.m., the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) received a notification from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) regarding a death following an interaction with RCMP officers in Swift Current.
SIRT's Civilian Executive Director accepted the notification as within SIRT's mandate and directed an investigation by SIRT.
On May 5, at approximately 11:06 a.m., the Swift Current RCMP received a request from an individual to conduct a wellness check on a family member. At approximately 11:15 a.m., the subject of the report, a 55-year-old female, was located at a local hotel, but refused assistance from both police and EMS. Ultimately, the woman was taken into custody without incident under The Mental Health Services Act, and placed directly into the waiting ambulance. While en route to Cypress Regional Hospital, the woman went into medical distress and became unresponsive. The woman was admitted to hospital, but at 12:26 p.m., was pronounced deceased.
Following the notification, a SIRT team consisting of the Civilian Executive Director and four SIRT investigators was deployed to Swift Current to begin their investigation. SIRT's investigation will examine the conduct of police during this incident, including the circumstances surrounding the woman's detention and the cause of her death. The RCMP will maintain responsibility for any investigation into the original incident. No further information will be released at this time. A final report will be issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending.
SIRT's mandate is to investigate alleged cases of serious injury, death, sexual assault or interpersonal violence arising from the actions or omissions of on and off-duty police officers, or while an individual is in police custody.
For updates on SIRT investigations, follow SIRT on X, formerly known as Twitter, at https://twitter.com/SIRT_SK.
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