Police watchdog investigating fatal confrontation

The death of a man who was fatally injured during a confrontation with Lethbridge police is under investigation by the province’s police watchdog.

On Oct. 3, officers responded to calls of a disturbance between two men in the city’s south side.

They arrested a 41-year-old man for breaching release conditions that included an order of no contact with the other man.

As he was placed in a police vehicle, the other man confronted a police officer, who pushed him away with one or both hands.

The 48-year-old man fell backwards, striking his head on the pavement.

Though he seemed to be in an altered state, the injured man’s eyes were open and he tried to speak. But after EMS arrived to treat him, his condition deteriorated to unresponsiveness.

The following day, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) received a call to investigate the incident due to the severity of the injuries.

On Oct. 8 the man died. An autopsy was performed the next day.

ASIRT will seek to determine if police actions caused the man’s death and if they were lawful.