Prince Albert Penitentiary tower. File photo by Chelsea Laskowski
A Wednesday riot in Prince Albert Penitentiary has resulted in a fatality, according to Correctional Services Canada.
Jason Leonard Bird, 43, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead “as a result of injuries sustained during the riot,” a Correctional Services Canada (CSC) release states.
An RCMP report says their investigation shows Bird was found unresponsive in the medium security unit around 7:15 p.m.
Mounties were not contacted until 40 minutes later, at 7:55 p.m. Bird had been serving a two-year seven month sentence related to break and enter offences since February.
Bird was not the only person wounded on Wednesday, as eight other people were also taken to hospital.
Earlier in the day, around 1 p.m., the medium security unit was put into lockdown “following a major disturbance,” according to CSC. Two and a half hours later, that lockdown was extended to maximum security units “as a precautionary measure.”
A spokesperson for the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers says the incident started Wednesday afternoon and the facility was seriously damaged, with a large area left uninhabitable.
According to the spokesperson, the incident involved a barricade and negotiations after inmates refuse to be locked up.
The CSC states there was a struggle to regain control of the medium security unit, which led to the discovery that three inmates were injured from apparent assaults by other inmates and were sent to hospital in serious condition.
“Correctional Officers had to discharge firearms as part of the emergency response to gain control of the situation,” the CSC release states.
Six inmates were injured while the officers were shooting, with CSC saying no injuries were life-threatening. Five of those inmates were sent to hospital with one of them returning to the Penitentiary that night.
At this time, police say they “are unable to confirm if the death is related to” the Wednesday disturbance and lockdown.
CSC says Bird’s family has been notified of his death.
Visits to the penitentiary are currently suspended as staff assess the extent of damage to the unit.