MONTREAL -- The death of a 41-year-old man who appeared at the Trois-Rivières courthouse on Tuesday is under investigation by the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI).
According to preliminary information given to the BEI, which has yet to be confirmed, two Sûreté du Québec agents arrested the man on Monday in the Bécancour region on several warrants.
He was taken to an SQ station in Shawinigan, 50 kilometres north of Bécancour, to be detained before his appearance in court scheduled for the following day.
The same two SQ officers then picked up the man from the police station and took him to the Trois-Rivières courthouse, where he was handed over to correctional services officers.
After a few hours, the man reportedly showed signs of illness while in the presence of those correctional services officers.
When he made his appearance in court, the judge asked that he be transported to hospital immediately because of the state of his health.
He died in the courthouse building.
Nine BEI investigators have been assigned to look into the matter. The BEI called on the Montreal police to act as support, providing two forensic identification technicians who will work under the supervision of the BEI's investigators.
