Coroner, corrections looking into deaths of two inmates at Prince Albert prison

Two inmates died while in custody at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert on Wednesday, including a man serving a life sentence for a high-profile Manitoba murder.

Daniel James Tokarchuk, 44, was more than 12 years into a life sentence for second-degree murder when he died Wednesday morning, according to Correctional Service Canada. Emergency services were called and Tokarchuk was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:24 a.m.

Later in the day, the CSC said Christopher Andrew Van Camp, 37, died in custody. Emergency services were called and he could not be resuscitated, the CSC said in a statement. His next of kin have been notified. No other information was released.

Lee Ann Skene, Saskatchewan Penitentiary’s deputy warden, said they cannot say right now whether or not the two deaths are connected. She added that police spent “a lot of time on-site” Wednesday.

Spokesman Darcy Begrand said Tokarchuk was found inside his living quarters in the facility’s minimum-security unit. An ambulance was called and Tokarchuk was rushed to Victoria Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“The loss of a life in any facility is a tragedy,” Begrand said.

Tokarchuk’s next of kin have been notified.

He had been serving time since Dec. 16, 2004. Tokarchuk fatally shot his former friend, Hells Angels associate Trevor Savoie, on a Winnipeg street in 2002.

Van Camp had been serving a sentence of five years, five months and 12 days since June 2012 for several charges including armed robbery, fraud, break and enter, possession of property obtained by crime, disobeying a court order and failure to comply with conditions of an undertaking.

As in all cases involving the death of an inmate, police and the provincial coroner have been notified, and Correctional Service Canada will review the cases.

These are the second and third in-custody deaths in recent weeks at the facility.