‘Erratic’ man dies in Winnipeg police custody after allegedly removing clothes, assaulting resident
Posted August 31, 2026 12:38 pm.
A 42-year-old man described as behaving erratically died in police custody on Sunday morning, some time after being tasered by Winnipeg police.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) is investigating the man’s death.
The Winnipeg Police Service says the man was reportedly walking up and down McMeans Avenue East — in the Transcona neighbourhood — around 4:23 a.m. “in an erratic manner” and removing his clothing.
Several 911 calls were made about the situation, including one from the man himself, the WPS says. A woman also called saying she and the man “were experiencing adverse effects of drug consumption,” according to a police news release.
At 4:31 a.m., a resident called 911 saying the man had broken into his home and assaulted him, before fleeing.
“I don’t know if I’m scared, but I’m shocked to hear that,” Transcona resident Garry Asher told CityNews. “The fact that somebody is breaking into your house, that kind of bothers me. Because we’re getting to the age that we’re not kids anymore, we’re not young. So if stuff like that is happening, as senior citizens, it kind of bothers me a bit.”
“This is pretty shocking to hear somebody broke into a house and passed away. I mean that’s pretty shocking to us.”
Multiple units were dispatched, according to the IIU. Police arrived to find the man naked. He allegedly “refused to comply with the officers’ verbal directions and he fled.”
Officers chased him and used a taser to subdue him and take him into custody.
Police say he was displaying signs of an “agitated chaotic event” and became unresponsive. He was taken to hospital in critical condition where he was pronounced dead.
A WPS officer sustained a minor injury to their leg during the encounter with the man, Winnipeg police say.
“So close to home,” said Sharon Asher. “You hear about it happening in some of the other areas and you think, ‘oh, that’s terrible,’ but then when it’s that close to home.”
–With files from Koby Mitchell
