RCMP are investigating the death of a 21-year-old inmate at Milner Ridge jail, marking the first homicide reported inside the facility.
Around 9:30 a.m. Monday, officers and emergency crews were called to the Milner Ridge Correctional Centre, near Beausejour, after an unresponsive male inmate was found.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers identified the victim as Tyler St. Paul, 21, originally from Lake Manitoba First Nation.
Lac du Bonnet RCMP and the RCMP's major crimes unit are both investigating. As of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests had been announced.
St. Paul, a father to a young son, was serving time for trafficking marijuana.
RCMP have not released the cause of death, but sources tell CTV News it's believed St. Paul was beaten. An autopsy has been scheduled.
St. Paul's father said the last time they spoke, his son had asked to borrow some money.
"He said, ‘I kind of need it.' He said, ‘I love you too.' I told him, ‘take care of yourself.' He (said), ‘don't worry. I look after myself in here,'" said Ashley Chippeway, St. Paul's father.
Milner Ridge, a medium security jail, was built to house 300 inmates, but at the time of the homicide, inmate numbers were closer to 350.
Officials, however, don't believe that played a role in the death.
"Prisons are a dangerous place. There is no getting around it. No matter what you do, they'll never be perfectly safe," said Paul Peterson, a director of the corrections branch with Manitoba Justice.
Corrections will also conduct an investigation.
A section of the jail was put into lockdown following the incident Monday morning.
CTV News has been told one guard suffered a minor injury while placing the jail in lockdown.
- with a report from CTV's Stacey Ashley
