A suspect who died while in police custody earlier this month was unarmed when he was tackled and punched by a group of Calgary officers, the province's police watchdog said Wednesday. In its findings, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said police were called to the Carriage House Inn at 12:56 a.m.
on Sept. 17 to attend to "an unwanted person" in the lobby. It said a lone police officer arrived to find the man standing near the check-in desk and their interaction was captured on a body-worn camera.
The suspect was not armed and his hands were in "full view," ASIRT said. The officer then ordered the man to leave the hotel, but it appeared the suspect was in some sort of distress. "The male continues to stand at his location in the lobby and act in a confused fashion, such as attempting to pick up items off the floor that were clearly non-existent," ASIRT said.
After speaking with the man for about 30 seconds, the officer drew his conducted energy weapon (CEW) and pointed it at the man, ordering him to leave. At that point, the suspect raised his hands and told the officer he would leave, along with pleading with the officer "not to shoot him," ASIRT said. "The male is walking slowly towards the main door with his hands raised while stating to the officer, 'I don’t want to die.
' The lone officer tells the male to stop talking and continues to point the weapon at him." As the suspect approached the main doors, two more police officers arrive at the hotel, maki.