Police watchdog seeks witnesses to Duncan arrest

Man died hours after being released from police cells at RCMP detachment

The Independent Investigations Office is looking to speak to anyone who saw the arrest of a man in Duncan a few hours before he died.

The civilian-led police watchdog is looking into the circumstances around a man who died several hours after he was released from police cells at the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment last week.

The man was arrested for being intoxicated in a public place at about 4:30 p.m. on July 15. He was booked into police cells and released about 1:30 a.m. the next day.

At about 3:30 p.m. on July 16, North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP were called to assist ambulance paramedics with a man found dead in a unit at Warmland House, a residential facility that includes shelter beds.

It was determined the man was the same person released earlier that day.

The IIO is asking that anyone who saw, heard, or recorded the man while he was lying on the ground or at the time of his arrest on July 15 contact the IIO Witness Line toll free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.