On May 15, 2020, at 8:36 p.m., Red Deer RCMP received a 911 hang up and attended to investigate. Red Deer RCMP arrived at the residence associated to the 911 hang up and determined there was an adult male causing a disturbance.
Red Deer RCMP arrested the adult male at the residence who was also on outstanding warrants and in breach of release conditions related to previous criminal matters. The male was transported and placed into cells at the Red Deer RCMP Detachment.
Several hours later, on May 16, 2020, a number of RCMP officers attended the cell to remove the male for fingerprinting as the male had been uncooperative during previous interactions with officers and was believed to pose an officer safety risk. A physical altercation occurred between one of the officers and the male that resulted in an injury to the male.
The male was assessed by Emergency Medical Services at the Red Deer Detachment and then taken to hospital for treatment.
On May 16, 2020, the Director of Law Enforcement was notified and deemed the matter to be "out of scope" of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team and advised it would remain with the Alberta RCMP. An internal review of the incident between the officer and the adult male was conducted that resulted in a statutory investigation being initiated.
As a result of the statutory investigation, Constable Vincent Beaudoin-Turcotte has been charged with Assault Causing Bodily Harm and is scheduled to appear in Red Deer Provincial Court on April 5, 2022.
Cst. Beaudoin-Turcotte has four years of service with the RCMP. Cst. Beaudoin-Turcotte has been placed on administrative duties as a result of the charge. Once the criminal matter has been resolved, his duty status will be reviewed.
The Alberta RCMP believes in processes that seek the facts, and it's important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. This is why, when we become aware of a situation that requires review, we immediately initiate internal processes to look at the totality of the incident, including the actions of the RCMP, the use of force during the incident, and the duty status of the member.
As this matter is now before the courts, the Alberta RCMP are unable to provide further information.