Fourth person this year dies at city remand centre

A 26-year-old man died Friday at the Edmonton Remand Centre, bringing the total number of deaths at the jail this year to four.

Edmonton Police Service confirmed they were dispatched to the facility in the north of the city around 8 a.m. after a report of a sudden death of a man who was found unresponsive in his cell.

Correctional centre staff and Alberta Health Services members “responded immediately with Narcan and epinephrine administered to him without result,” Alberta Justice spokeswoman Louise McEachern said in an email.

“As part of protocol, the inmate’s unit was closed for investigation,” McEachern said.

“The cause of death remains unknown and it would be inappropriate to speculate the cause at this time.”

Police are continuing to investigate and the medical examiner has possession of the body, city police spokeswoman Cheryl Voordenhout said. Additional testing may be conducted, she said.

McEachern said as with all deaths in custody, an internal review is underway.

In-custody deaths have spiked

The cause of death remains unknown ...

this year with more inmates dying in Alberta jails in the first half of 2018 than in all of 2017, numbers released by the province show.

The four recent deaths at the Edmonton Remand Centre bring the total number of people who have died in provincial jails so far this year to eight.