Witness appeal following death of man taken to custody in Liverpool

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is appealing for witnesses to assist with our investigation into the death of a man who was taken to police custody in Liverpool.
 
The man who died has been formally identified as 41-year-old David Brown. Mr Brown died in hospital on Wednesday 21 August, having been taken to St Anne Street police station earlier that day.
 
We have established that Mr Brown was stopped by officers on Priory Road, Liverpool, on the morning of 21 August and taken to a police custody suite before being subsequently released. Merseyside Police were contacted later that afternoon to say he had collapsed at home. He was taken to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead.

A post-mortem was carried out on 22 August but the cause of death is still to be determined.

During our enquiries, we have been made aware of witnesses who saw Mr Brown being stopped by officers on Priory Road at 11.30am and potential mobile footage of the interaction. We believe people who may have witnessed Mr Brown’s interaction with officers may be able to assist with our enquiries.
 
Following a mandatory referral from the force on Thursday 22 August, we began an independent investigation. IOPC investigators have secured CCTV footage from the custody suite.
 
IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Mr Brown’s family and friends and anyone affected by his death. Our team has been in contact with the family to explain our role, offer support and to outline the next steps of our independent investigation.
 
“Any loss of life is a tragedy, and our investigation will be thorough and independent to ensure we understand the circumstances that led up to Mr Brown’s death. If you believe you have any information, or footage of Mr Brown’s interaction with police, I urge you to get in touch.”
 
Anyone with information is urged to contact the IOPC at [email protected]