Photo courtesy: Canadian Press

By CKPG Today

IIO

IIO clears Prince George RCMP of wrongdoing in Nov. 2024 death

Oct 3, 2025 | 10:42 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) has completed its investigation into the death of a man after being taken into police custody in Prince George in November, 2024 and has cleared the RCMP of any wrongdoing.

On November 6, shortly after 2:00 p.m., officers arrested the man for intoxication on the intersection of 1st Avenue and Dominion Street.

Officers took him to their detachment and the man was found unresponsive in his cell during a routine check later that night, and he was taken to hospital, where he was in critical condition and later died.

The report notes that prior to the deceased being taken into custody, the man had asked a cab driver to take him on a $200 cab ride around Prince George, during which time he was drinking liquor and taking “little yellow pills.” After leaving the cab, he was reportedly “extremely intoxicated and apparently unable to care for himself.”

Once RCMP took him into custody, the report also notes that the man “took a swing” at an RCMP officer after which time he had to be “controlled on the floor” by another officer.

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Later that day, a guard noticed little movement from the man’s cell, leading to a call for paramedics to arrive on scene.

He was later found to have suffered a cardiac arrest that had led to massive brain injury through oxygen deprivation. He did not regain consciousness and died in hospital on November 11, 2024.

The IIO’s final judgement noted that the man was acting in a resistant and assaultive manner and that the force used to contain him was “necessary to control him and was not excessive in the circumstances.”

The report adds that “there is no evidence to connect any use of force to the AP’s (affected person’s) death.”