Tthe death of a 69-year-old man whose body was found in a tent at Oppenheimer Park this morning is not believed to be suspicious, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
Const. Brian Montague, a VPD media liaision officer, said in a release the man's body was discovered at about 11 a.m. which caused police to blocked off the park. The man's body was found in one of the tents pitched in the park as part of a four-months long protest camp.
"Police and the coroner attended and there are no visible signs of violence or trauma," Montague said. "While there was no apparent or obvious cause of death, it is not believed to be suspicious."
Montague said police haven’t determined cause of death. The coroner is investigating.
The death comes the same day campers are supposed to leave the park by 10 p.m. tonight. That deadline was set last week by a Supreme Court judge, who agreed to the City of Vancouver’s request for an injunction to dismantle the camp.
The park has been home to up to 200 campers since July, with many suffering from mental health and addictions issues. The city and B.C. Housing have worked to find shelter or temporary housing for those who identify as homeless at the park. To date, close to 100 homeless campers have been placed in some type of housing, according to the city's communications branch.
Four days ago, the VPD issued a warning to local drug users following the recent heroin overdoses of about 12 people in the city. Police urged drug users to use the Insite supervised drug injection site on East Hastings, which is staffed my medical personnel that can intervene in the event of an overdose.
mhowell@vancourier.com
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