Police say man who doesn't use drugs collapsed from fentanyl poisoning after "brief encounter" in Chinatown
Vancouver police are investigating the case of a man who they say collapsed from fentanyl poisoning after briefly interacting with someone in Chinatown last week.
His family is concerned about what happened, saying the man doesn’t use drugs at all and questioning if he was intentionally poisoned. Now, police are trying to figure out if anything criminal in nature happened.
“We know this man is not a drug user and that he did not intentionally consume fentanyl on the night he fell ill,” Const. Tania Visintin said in a news release. “We are working with the man, his family, and medical professionals to understand how lethal drugs entered his system. We have not ruled out the possibility he was intentionally exposed to fentanyl.”
The man is 56 years old, and fell “mysteriously ill” after a “brief encounter with a stranger.” He collapsed on East Pender Street between Main and Columbia streets around 9 pm on November 22.
He was given naloxone and taken to hospital by paramedics. He speaks only Cantonese, and at the time, responders didn’t think anything indicating a crime had occurred. But after one of his family members came forward with more information, police launched an investigation.
Officers retraced the man’s steps, and believe they’ve identified the stranger in question.
The man who was exposed to fentanyl has recovered, but the Major Crimes investigation continues.
“This is a troubling case, and we don’t yet have all the answers, but some of our most experienced people are now leading this investigation,” Visintin said. “We have heard from community members who are troubled by this incident. We want everyone to know that we’re working hard to find out what happened.”
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