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Police probing 'suspicious' death of Yellowknife cab driver

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NNSL photo. The Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife, NWT.

Yellowknife RCMP is investigating the "suspicious" death of a taxi driver found inside a cab outside of Stanton Territorial Hospital, say police.

On Monday morning, at approximately 4:47 a.m., Mounties responded to a report of an unconscious adult male who had been located in a white City Cab SUV in the "vicinity" of the hospital, states a news release issued by police Monday afternoon.

Police say the man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

The man's death is being treated as suspicious at this time, according to Mounties.

"The RCMP are requesting the public's assistance if anything suspicious was observed early Monday morning in the areas of Wilkinson Crescent, Fraser Arms West or East or the Stanton Territorial Hospital emergency entrance," state Mounties in the news release.

"We're very shaken," Shirley McGrath, general manager of City Cab Ltd., told Yellowknifer during a phone interview.

McGrath said the deceased driver, whose identity won't be released by the company, had been an employee for 15 to 20 years. She confirmed he was on duty when he was discovered unconscious.

McGrath said the driver had received at least one call leading up to the discovery, but she said the call wasn't to an area near Stanton Territorial Hospital.

"He was a very kind and gentle person," said McGrath, adding he wasn't someone the company would ever receive complaints against.

NWT Major Crimes Unit is investigating the death alongside the Yellowknife Detachment, Forensic Identification Services, Police Dog Services and the NWT Coroner Service.

McGrath said RCMP are still in possession of the vehicle the driver was found in.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Yellowknife RCMP at 867-669-1111 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, nwtnutips.com, (click on "submit a web tip") or text: nwtnutips to 274637.

More to come.