Calgary Police Service investigating death of man removed from aircraft

The Calgary Police Service Homicide Unit is investigating the sudden death of a man that went into medical distress on board an aircraft bound for Amsterdam.

At approximately 3 p.m., on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, CPS Airport Unit members responded to an aircraft that had returned to the gate after a male passenger had an altercation with two Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) officers prior to take off.

Officers found one man in medical distress who was removed from the aircraft and transported to hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.

An autopsy has been completed. Cause and manner of death are still to be determined. The identity of the man will not be released until next of kin notification is completed.

Two CBSA officers were also taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Investigators are in the process of speaking to witnesses to determine what happened before the man went into medical distress.

“This is being investigated as an in-custody death” says Staff Sergeant Colin Chisholm. “To protect the integrity of the investigation and prevent any influence on the recollection of witnesses, there is limited information we can share at this time”.

Anyone with information about this case or knows of anyone who was on the flight who witnessed this incident, is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234, or Crime Stoppers anonymously using either of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org

Information related to procedures regarding removal of foreign nationals should be directed to the CBSA.