Charlottetown police officers cleared of wrongdoing in death of man in their custody (original) (raw)
Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team has found no grounds to lay criminal charges against three Charlottetown Police Service officers following the October 2025 death of a man who was arrested, struggled with the officers and died in hospital four days later.
SiRT report concludes man died from 'cocaine toxicity'
Listen to this article
Estimated 6 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
3 officers cleared after man died in Charlottetown police custody
Charlottetown police officers did not commit any crimes in connection with the 2025 death of a man in their custody. That's according to the independent agency that investigates serious incidents involving police. CBC’s Connor Lamont reports.
Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team has found no grounds to lay criminal charges against three Charlottetown Police Service officers after the October 2025 death of a man who was arrested, struggled with the officers and died in hospital four days later.
A report by SiRT director Erin Nauss concluded the officers' actions did not amount to criminal conduct, but rather that the man died from "cocaine toxicity."
"My review of the evidence indicates there are no reasonable grounds to believe the subject officers committed a criminal offence related to this tragic situation," Nauss wrote. "The SiRT team sends condolences to those impacted."
An autopsy found no significant physical injuries on the man, according to the report. But a bag containing a white substance, believed to be cocaine, was found inside his body. It appeared to have ruptured. Toxicology confirmed high levels of cocaine in his system at the time of death.
The report also noted there was no evidence that either the officers or hospital medical staff knew the man had concealed drugs on his person.
"The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service pathologist recommended that the P.E.I. coroner rule the cause of death as cocaine toxicity and the manner of death as accidental," the report reads.
Nauss noted the P.E.I. coroner will make the final determination and decide whether an inquest will be held. The coroner's office had not made a final ruling at the time the report was released.
Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team, or SiRT, is an independent organization responsible for investigating serious incidents resulting from police actions. (Submitted by SIRT)
In a news release Thursday, SiRT said on the morning of Oct. 11, the man entered the Charlottetown police station after learning the police were looking for him. The man was arrested for theft.
"During the booking process, the male's behaviour became increasingly erratic and it was determined that he required medical attention and should be transported to the hospital," SiRT said in the release.
"A struggle ensued between the male and three CPS officers as they placed him in handcuffs and put him in the back of a police vehicle."
At one point during the struggle, body-worn camera footage captured officers repeatedly telling the man to roll over or they would use a stun gun on him. The report states the stun gun appeared to have been held against the man's body rather than fully discharged.
"The physical force and use of the [stun gun] was reasonable in these circumstances, as the [man's] behaviour required force to get him under control and to the hospital," the report states.
"It is also important to note that this force did not result in any injury to the [man]."
On the way to the hospital, the man went into medical distress, SiRT said.
"Officers pulled over to check on him, reposition him and then called dispatch to advise the hospital to have someone ready to assist when they arrived," the agency said.
When they arrived at the hospital, the man was "blue and not breathing."
The charge nurse on duty, who recognized the man, went to the vehicle and initially thought he was dead. She got into the back of the police vehicle and began CPR.
Police had called ahead to advise they were bringing the man to hospital under P.E.I.'s Mental Health Act, but the nurse noted the officers did not recognize he was in cardiac arrest. In her notes, the charge nurse described the impact of that communication gap.
"This information was not relayed to me as the team leader," she wrote. "This directly impacted this patient's care, the patient had a very delayed response, I was the single responder providing hands-only CPR for over a minute without any assistance."
The man's heartbeat was restored, but he never recovered. He died in hospital on Oct. 15.
'This type of incident is deeply serious and impacts not only the individual’s loved ones, but also our officers and dispatchers, and our community,' Sean Coombs, interim chief of Charlottetown Police Services, said in a statement. (CBC)
Nauss assessed the officers' conduct in potential areas of criminal liability, including the use of force during the struggle at the police station, and whether officers fulfilled their duty of care while transporting the man to hospital.
On the use of force, she found the officers' actions reasonable. The man had been lawfully arrested, was resisting and had damaged property at the station. The autopsy found no physical injuries resulting from the struggle.
Citing the Supreme Court of Canada, Nauss noted that "police actions should not be judged against a standard of perfection" and that officers "often have to react quickly to emergencies."
On the question of duty of care during transport, Nauss said the communication breakdown with the hospital was "regrettable" but found it didn't meet the criminal threshold.
The officers had checked on the man when his condition changed, repositioned him, notified dispatch and reached the hospital within minutes.
"The perceived breakdown in communication between the police and the hospital staff about the change in the [man's] condition is regrettable," she wrote, "however this conduct does not amount to criminal liability on behalf of the subject officers."
Nauss also could not conclude the officers showed "a wanton or reckless disregard for the safety or life" of the man.
'A tragic situation'
In an interview with CBC News, Nauss said it is not known why the man had cocaine inside his body, but that it is very likely that the substance caused his erratic behaviour.
"This is a tragic situation, and we certainly send our condolences as a team to the friends and family of the affected party," she said.
"It is a set of tragic circumstances and, ultimately, no charges were warranted."
Sean Coombs, interim chief of Charlottetown Police Services, said in a statement to CBC News that the incident was tragic for the man and his family, as well as the responding officers and support staff.
"This type of incident is deeply serious and impacts not only the individual's loved ones, but also our officers and dispatchers, and our community," he said.
"We appreciate the work of the investigators and the important role they play."
Coombs said CPS fully co-operated with the SiRT investigation and is satisfied with the outcome.
"We deal with people in crisis every day and the interactions are [overwhelmingly] stabilized, and resolved without issue or incident," he said.
"With that, I want to also express my appreciation for the officers involved and acknowledge the professionalism and accountability they have demonstrated throughout this process."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thinh Nguyen is a digital reporter with CBC P.E.I. He can be reached at thinh.duc.nguyen@cbc.ca
With files from Connor Lamont