There are deaths that arrive with explanation and deaths that arrive with questions. For the family of Lawrence Blackduck, the questions have persisted for more than a year. This week, some of them received an answer, though not the kind that brings closure.
Two Yellowknife RCMP officers have been arrested and charged with causing death by criminal negligence and failing to provide the necessities of life in connection with Blackduck’s death in police custody on March 12, 2025 . The officers, identified in court documents as Cst. Nicholas Ash and Cst. Brent Young, both 32, have been suspended from duty and are scheduled to appear in Territorial Court on November 24 .
Blackduck, a 56-year-old member of the Tłı̨chǫ Nation, was arrested after police responded to a report of a man disturbing the peace at a business on 50th Street in downtown Yellowknife. According to the RCMP, he was showing signs of intoxication. He was placed in the back of a police vehicle while officers gathered more information on site. When they returned, he was unresponsive. Life-saving measures were attempted, but he was pronounced dead at the scene .
The investigation was conducted by the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit, an external division brought in as is common practice when an in-custody death occurs. The charges followed .
In a written statement, Chief Supt. Dyson Smith, commanding officer of N.W.T. RCMP, said the force is “deeply saddened that a man lost his life while in police custody” and offered condolences to Blackduck’s family, friends, and community. “The G Division RCMP recognizes that this incident is deeply troubling and that public trust has been shaken,” he said .
The RCMP also announced that an internal review was conducted to identify gaps in policy, training, or procedures. As a result, amendments were made to national policy and the RCMP Depot training curriculum related to in-vehicle detention .
The Tłı̨chǫ Government acknowledged Blackduck’s death in March 2025 with a short tribute. For the family and community, the charges represent a formal acknowledgment that something went wrong. But they do not bring him back. The court will now determine what happened in those minutes between arrest and the discovery of an unresponsive man in the back of a police car.
AI Image Disclaimer: The accompanying visual is AI-generated and does not depict the actual individuals or incident involved.
Sources: RCMP, CBC News, APTN News, Cabin Radio, Yellowknifer
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