The suspect in the death of a 56-year-old man on Thursday in Alberni is now facing charges in the incident.
Port Alberni provincial Crown counsel Gordon Baines confirmed that William David Oickle, 28, is charged with one count of manslaughter in the death of George Ledrew.
Oickle is being held in custody and will next appear in Port Alberni Provincial Court via video on Dec. 15.
On Thursday, police responded to reports of a man passed out on a sidewalk in the vicinity of Eighth Avenue and Maitland Street at 1:30 a.m.
Officers responded to the scene and immediately called BC Ambulance, who responded and declared the man deceased.
The man showed signs of injury and certain factors about the incident promoted police to deem the death suspicious so the forensic identification unit was brought in to aid the investigation.
At 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, police arrested Oickle in connection with the incident, Allan said.
Ledrew's death is the second to have recently occurred in the area.
In August, a 22-year-old man was found dead in the same vicinity. No cause of death was released at the time, and no charges stemmed from the incident.
reporter@albernivalleynews.com