Two RCMP officers charged after N.W.T. man died in police custody in 2025

Two RCMP officers from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, have been charged after a man died in police custody in 2025, according to the Alberta RCMP. The charges of criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life stem from an incident in March of that year. On that day, the officers responded to a disturbance report at a business and detained a 56-year-old man, Lawrence Blackduck, who was reportedly intoxicated.

After gathering information, the officers returned to the car and found Blackduck unresponsive. Despite attempts by paramedics and life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The RCMP has not disclosed further details about the officers' alleged actions. Chief Superintendent Dyson Smith of the Northwest Territories RCMP expressed condolences to Blackduck's family and community, emphasizing the incident's troubling nature and the organization's commitment to transparency, accountability, and maintaining public trust.