OTTAWA -- Ontario's Special Investigations Unit is investigating the death of a man who was being dropped off at the Shepherds of Good Hope by police officers.
Ottawa police responded to a call at approximately 12:15 p.m. for an intoxicated man at the Lord Elgin Hotel on Elgin Street.
The SIU says officers located the man in front of the hotel.
"Following a conversation with the man, it was agreed that the man would be transported by police to the Shepherds of Good Hope shelter," the SIU said in a statement Saturday evening.
"When officers arrived at the shelter they noticed that the man had become unresponsive."
The SIU says emergency medical services took over care of the man and placed him in the ambulance, "where he subsequently went vital signs absent."
The man was pronounced deceased in the ambulance at 1:17 p.m. The SIU says investigators are trying to identify the man.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the SIU at 1-800-787-8529.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, President and CEO of Shepherds of Good Hope Deirdre Freiheit said, "Shepherds of Good Hope can confirm that there was a serious incident in front of our shelter building on Saturday. Our staff and police discovered an individual en route to our shelter was deceased in the back of the cruiser at approximately 12:30 p.m."
Freiheit says the Shepherds of Good Hope is working closely with the Special Investigations Unit.
"Our thoughts are with the loved ones of this individual. Due to confidentiality, we will not be releasing the identity of this individual."
