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The B.C. The Independent Investigation Office (IIO) is looking into the death of a man in the detention cells of the Smithers RCMP detachment on September 4. According to an IIO announcement, a guy was apprehended on September 1 and remanded in custody in Smithers.
According to the announcement from Sunday night, a cell guard saw the individual in trouble and summoned medical help. Emergency Medical Services responded and brought the man to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
The RCMP stated in a separate announcement that the medical distress was caused by “self-inflicted activities.” According to police, they promptly alerted the IIO, British Columbia’s civilian oversight organization for police, which launched an inquiry.
Anyone with information regarding this event is asked to contact the agency at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website. The Interior News has been in contact with the deceased man’s family and is currently seeking confirmation of the events that led to his arrest and detention.
The man’s family has spoken out, stating the Smithers RCMP told them he was on “suicide watch” before he died. Barrett Jack, 34, of Witset, was identified as the deceased, according to members of his family who spoke to Black Press Media.
They said that on Sunday night (September 4), authorities informed them that Jack had “taken his own life” while in police custody. The British Columbia Independent Investigations Office (IIO) claims that the RCMP informed the IIO of the death shortly after it occurred. The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) is currently looking into Jack’s death in the Smithers RCMP Detachment cells.
According to a press release issued by the IIO, a guard discovered a man in need of medical attention on Sunday night. The individual was pronounced deceased at the hospital after being taken there by emergency medical services.
The RCMP stated that the cause of the medical emergency was “self-inflicted activities” in a second press release. An RCMP officer in Smithers has died, and investigators have ruled his death a suicide.
On September 1, Jack was seized after he was accused of breaking into a Telkwa home and assaulting the occupants before leading the RCMP on a high-speed chase through the neighborhood.
Jack was arrested on many accusations on September 2 and remanded into custody. These allegations included burglary with intent to commit an indictable offense, evading police, operating a vehicle recklessly, and stealing two vehicles.
Two additional suspects in the same event showed up in court today as well (Sept. 6). Only one was allowed to go free. Pretrial proceedings will reveal that all are similarly accused to Jack.
According to Black Press Media, Jack’s relatives believe he was placed on a”suicide watch” while in detention and are concerned about how he may have hurt himself while no one was looking.
Jack has family in Witset, including his young daughter. On Wednesday, September 7 at 8:55 p.m., the moment when police claim Jack was found in medical difficulty in the cells, his family will hold a candlelight vigil at the Smithers detachment.
