Street closure due to medical call - cops
Fredericton police closed Smythe Street early Monday during distress response for safety
A police presence and closure of a major artery on Fredericton’s south side early Monday morning was due to a medical-distress call during which a man died, says the city police force.
The Fredericton Police Force alerted the public to a southside traffic disruption Monday morning through social media.
“Please be advised that traffic on Smythe Street, between Connaught Street and Edinburg Street, is currently being redirected as police work an active file,” the force wrote on Facebook shortly after 7 a.m. Monday.
“Please take an alternate route or expect delays.”
However, the scene was cleared by 9 a.m.
Police spokesperson Megan Barker told the Fredericton Independent later Monday morning that the police presence wasn’t due to a report of any offence, but rather for a medical emergency.
“During the early morning hours of Monday, July 15, 2024, members of the Fredericton Police Force responded to a call for service shortly after 6 a.m. and subsequently closed the portion of Smythe Street between Connaught and Edinburgh streets as a safety measure for first responders who were assisting an individual in medical distress,” she wrote in an email.
“Unfortunately, the male individual passed away as a result of their medical crisis.”
She noted the deceased man was 61 years old.
Barker said there was no criminality involved in the incident.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.