National

Indigenous man dies in custody in Qld

By AAP Newswire

Nov 10, 2022

Generic image of a piece of Police tape — An Indigenous man has died while in custody at a police watchhouse in far north Queensland. -AAP Image

An Indigenous man has died in custody at a police watchhouse after he was arrested in a First Nations community in far north Queensland.

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The 51-year-old was arrested over domestic violence allegations in the remote community of Kowanyama in eastern Cape York on Wednesday afternoon.

Queensland Police took him to the local watchhouse and put him in a holding cell and he was found unresponsive a short time later.

Officers "immediately" gave the man first aid before he was rushed to the Kowanyama health clinic, where he was declared dead.

Police minister Mark Ryan described the death as a tragedy, saying it would be fully investigated.

"There is a very thorough investigation underway. We've got the ethical standards command, and that will be independently oversighted by the CCC (Crime and Corruption Commission) and the coroner," Mr Ryan said on Thursday.

Family liaison officers have been assigned to provide information and support to the man's family.

"I've got every confidence that together the community can grieve over this and work collaboratively to support each other through this process," Mr Ryan said.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press