Homicide unit investigates deportee’s in-custody death at Calgary Airport
The investigation into the death of a man being deported from Canada while in the custody of border officers could take up to six months, to allow for interviewing witnesses and results of an autopsy.
The Calgary Police Service homicide unit is acting as an impartial third party, as the foreign national’s death was a sudden, in-custody death.
“This case is very unique, we have come across an incident where we have an in-custody death that we investigate,” Calgary police Staff Sgt. Colin Chisholm said during a news conference on Thursday.
“The fact that the CBSA does not fall under ASIRT’s (the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team) purview in Alberta, that’s why we’re doing the investigation.”
The man, who has not been identified, was being escorted by two Canada Border Services Agency officers on a KLM flight departing from Calgary to Amsterdam on Tuesday when there was an altercation.
The flight was on its way to take off, but was forced to return to the gate. When CPS airport officers boarded the plane, they found a 49-year-old man in medical distress. He was rushed to the Peter Lougheed Centre, where he was pronounced dead approximately an hour and a half later.
Police are speaking with witnesses to determine what led to the man going into medical distress. However, police did not have the opportunity to interview the passengers on the flight before departure.
Authorities in the Netherlands are working with Calgary police to carry out the necessary interviews.
“At this time we are not anticipating any charges being laid based on the information we have,” said Chisholm, adding they have not received information about the involvement of any weapons.
The deceased man was not previously known to police, but had lived in Calgary for “at least years.” Police are working with authorities in the man’s home country to contact next of kin.
The two CBSA officers were also taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. Police do not know if CBSA has put the two officers on leave.
Police are encouraging anyone who was on the flight with information about the altercation to contact them at 403-266-1234 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.