Officers cleared in death of man during arrest in Halifax

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins

Nova Scotia’s police watchdog says it has found no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against Halifax Regional Police officers in connection with the death of a man earlier this year.

On February 22, 2025, officers were called to reports of a man leaving the QEII hospital while experiencing a mental health crisis.

“HRP requested EHS assistance before heading to the residence and throughout the interaction,” reads the report from the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT). “When the officers arrived on the scene, they attempted to speak with the male. He was uncooperative and threw items at the officers.”

SiRT says the man continued to resist arrest and a struggle ensued, which led to officers using a taser on the man. It says that after the man was put in handcuffs, he went into cardiac arrest.

“Officers performed CPR until EHS and firefighters arrived,” the report says. “These measures were unsuccessful, and the male was declared deceased at the scene.”

SiRT writes that the use of the taser was reasonable force in this case, calling it a tragic situation.