WINNIPEG, Man., – The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) determined that no criminal wrongdoing occurred after a man died when he was taken into RCMP custody in extreme winter conditions earlier this year.
The IIU, Manitoba’s civilian police oversight agency, investigated after the man, called “AP” in the report, died in the area of Madge Lake, Sask., on Jan. 19.
“Aside from the placement of the handcuffs, there is no use of force applied by the officers,” said IIU Acting Civilian Director Bruce Sychuk in his report released to the public July 22. “Each officer makes a concerted effort to extract AP from the woods as carefully as possible in the circumstances.”
According to the IIU report, RCMP officers from multiple detachments, along with conservation officers from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, launched a search after Kamsack, Sask., RCMP received a report of a missing man who was believed to be inadequately dressed for the severe cold. Police believed he was trying to find a highway. He was close to the Manitoba border.
Temperatures at the time were estimated to be between -40°C and -50°C with the windchill. A police drone located the man lying motionless in a snowbank deep in the woods. He wasn’t moving and had a barely visible heat signal.
Officers trekked through difficult terrain to reach him. One officer said AP was found in the woods face-down and extremely frozen. His pulse was slow and his legs were “extremely frozen,” and it took more than half an hour to extract AP from the woods and bring him to the highway. The officer said AP’s eyes were open but he was otherwise non-responsive.
Due to earlier reports that AP might be armed, officers handcuffed him for safety as they carried him out. Witness statements indicated AP was initially breathing but he didn’t have a pulse when they reached a police vehicle.
When paramedics arrived, AP was in the back of a police vehicle with blankets on him and an RCMP officer was performing CPR.
One of the paramedics told IIU that “AP was extremely cold to touch,” and they couldn’t remove his shoes because they were “one solid block of ice.”
Emergency medical services performed CPR and transported him to Swan River, Man., hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
The IIU’s investigation included interviews with nine RCMP officers, three professional witnesses (including EMS personnel), drone footage, medical reports, and weather data.
The report’s key findings were there was no excessive force used by police, the cause of death was hypothermia, and police acted to locate and assist AP, given the life-threatening weather conditions.
The IIU in Manitoba is the civilian oversight agency responsible for investigating serious incidents involving police in the province, including all municipal, First Nations, and RCMP officers.
