Investigation opened after man freezes to death in Val-d'Or

An investigation is being launched after a 24-year-old man froze to death in Val-d'Or, Que.

Quebec's independent investigation bureau, which goes by its French acronym BEI, said in a news release on Sunday night that it is looking into the circumstances surrounding the death.

The unit said all it has at the moment is preliminary information.

• Independent bureau ready to investigate Quebec police

According to the BEI, a call was made to police concerning an inebriated man around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night.

Provincial police and members of the Lac-Simon police force attempted to locate the man without success.

A resident found the man, suffering from hypothermia, around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Police were sent to the scene and tried to resuscitate him.

The man was then taken to hospital but never recovered. He died later in the afternoon.

Nine investigators from the BEI should arrive in Val-d'Or, a community 600 kilometres northwest of Montreal, on Monday.

The BEI will open an investigation whenever someone is seriously hurt or diesfollowing a police intervention.

• No charges against Quebec provincial police in Val-d'Or abuse scandal

Both the provincial police in Val-d'Or and local police in Lac-Simon have been the subject of recent investigations.

Last month, Crown prosecutors chose not to lay charges against six provincial police officers in Val-d'Or after 31 alleged victims came forward with stories of abuse.

In April, a Lac-Simon officer shot and killed a man after an altercation. The event sparked tensions in the Algonquin community. The investigation is ongoing.

• Tensions high in Lac-Simon after fatal police shooting

The BEIare asking forany witnesses to come forward with information andget in touchthrough theirwebsite.