Cole Harbour man at centre of emergency alert dies after injuring himself with knife: RCMP

A man who was the subject on an emergency alert in Cole Harbour, N.S., Thursday night has died, according to police.

The RCMP responded to a call that a man was in distress at a home on Greenborough Crescent around 7 p.m.

The RCMP says the 52-year-old Cole Harbour man was armed with a knife and threatening to harm himself, while in the presence of a woman and youth he knew.

Const. Guillaume Tremblay told CTV News the man hurt himself with the knife. The woman and youth were not injured.

Before officers arrived, police say the man had left the home on foot, with what were believed to be self-inflicted wounds.

RCMP officers, the Emergency Response Team and police dogs launched a search for the man.

A short time later, police received a report that a home in the area had been broken into. Officers believe the man was involved in the break-and-enter.

An emergency alert was issued just before 9 p.m., advising local residents to shelter in place as police searched for the man.

An emergency alert was issued Thursday evening warning Cole Harbour residents of the situation and that police were in the area searching.

Police also asked anyone who witnessed suspicious activity to call 911.

Police say they found the man on a frozen lake in the area, suffering from exposure and self-inflicted wounds, around 9:30 p.m.

A tweet from RCMP around 9:45 p.m. said the man had been taken into custody in the area of Greenborough Crescent and Bissett Lake.

He was then taken to hospital in critical condition.

Police say they learned shortly after midnight that the man had died from his injuries.

The RCMP is investigating the incident as a sudden death. The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner’s Office is assisting with the investigation.

Police have also referred the incident to Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team, which is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in the province.