Yukon man who died in police cell was 'quite ill': shelter official

A Yukon man who died while in RCMP custody Tuesday had appeared intoxicated at a local homeless shelter earlier that day, according to shelter officials.

The death of Raymond Silverfox, 43, has prompted a Yukon coroner's inquest, as with all deaths that occur in police custody.

As well, Whitehorse RCMP have asked independent investigators from the force's major crimes unit in British Columbia to investigate the incident, Sgt. Roger Lockwood said Wednesday.

Police said Silverfox was taken into custody around 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, following a disturbance at the local Salvation Army shelter and office.

Silverfox spent the next 12 hours locked up in the RCMP detachment's cells, but became medically distressed around 6:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead two hours later at Whitehorse General Hospital, police said.

Robert Sessford of the Salvation Army told CBC News that Silverfox was not a regular at his shelter, and had never spent the night there.

"Our staff welcomed him into the centre, but immediately it was apparent that he was quite ill," Sessford said Wednesday, adding that the man appeared obviously intoxicated.

Shelter staff brought in emergency medical personnel, but Sessford said they did not know what to do with Silverfox.

"They checked over the guy very carefully, and they asked, 'Do you want to go to the hospital?' The man responded in a clear voice, 'No,'" he said.

Police were then called in. Sessford said Silverfox did not pose a threat to shelter staff.

"However, our staff were not able to care for him because of his extreme inebriation," he said.

Chief coroner Sharon Hanley said that while there have been recent deaths in police custody, Silverfox's death is the first Yukon death in police cells since 2000.

Silverfox's body is expected to be sent Thursday for an autopsy. Hanley said she is planning to hold an inquest after the autopsy results come in.