Montreal correctional officer suspended after man, 21, dies from injuries in jail

A correctional officer has been temporarily relieved of his duties after a detainee died following an altercation inside a Montreal jail on Christmas Eve.

The Ministry of Public Safety confirmed in an email to CTV News that the man, 21-year-old Nicous D'Andre Spring, lost consciousness after an officer performed a "physical procedure" on him inside the jail.

He was sent to hospital in an ambulance after the Dec. 24 altercation, where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.

The ministry's corrections branch suspended the jail worker following a preliminary analysis of what happened. An administrative investigation is now underway.

The ministry said it would not make any further comments on the incident "considering the ongoing or upcoming investigations as well as the rules regarding the confidentiality of personal files."

Quebec's public safety minister, François Bonnardel, said he was "very concerned" about the man's death and has asked for officials to shed light on what happened. 

"We offer our sincere condolences to the family and loves ones of the victim," the minister said in a statement.

Quebec provincial police are also investigating the young man's death.

"It is up to the police to determine whether charges should be laid following a criminal investigation and to the coroner to determine the cause of death," said Marie-Josée Montminy, a spokesperson for the public safety ministry.

SPRING WAS ASPIRING RAPPER FROM MONTREAL

In an interview with Noovo Info, the head of the union representing Quebec corrections officers, Mathieu Lavoie, said agents put a "spit mask" on Spring during the intervention to stop him from biting them.

A supervisor then ordered agents to spray Spring with pepper spray, while he was still wearing the mask.

"There needs to be an internal review and lessons need to be learned," said Lavoie.

Spring was an aspiring rapper from Montreal going by the name YK Lyrical.

He was in Bordeaux following a Dec. 20 arrest in which he pled not guilty to assaulting a police officer, uttering threats, and possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes charges.

He was arrested on three previous occasions.

Bordeaux jail is located on Gouin Boulevard in Montreal's Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough. 

An autopsy will be done to determine the causes and circumstances surrounding the death, according to Stephane Tremblay, a spokesperson for the SQ.

The investigation is being conducted by the SQ's Crimes Against the Person team.