On the eve of his funeral, the cause of Sheku Bayoh’s death is officially “unascertained”.
The Courier has seen the death certificate of the father-of-two, who died after being detained by police in the early hours of Sunday May 3.
Nearly five weeks on, the document lodges cause of death as “unascertained (pending investigation)”.
Sheku lost consciousness and later died after he was arrested and restrained by police in the Hayfield Road area of Kirkcaldy.
The certificate does reveal that the Sierra Leone national, who would have celebrated his 32nd birthday this September, died at 9.04am in Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) is conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
It is believed the family will call for a full independent inquiry after Sunday’s funeral, which will take place five weeks after his death.
His grieving family has invited friends, community and supporters of the justice campaign to join them in a celebration of his life.
But the family has stressed anyone wanting to cause trouble should stay away.
The funeral procession will start at the spot where Sheku was restrained and lost consciousness.
It will stop at Kirkcaldy Police Station for a two-minute silence before the cortege makes its solemn way to Kirkcaldy Islamic Centre Mosque.
The family’s solicitor Aamer Anwar said: “The Bayoh family will stand in silence at Kirkcaldy Police Station in protest over the nine officers who have failed to speak to the independent investigators of PIRC for well over a month.
“The family are tired of having to fight for answers and deserve the truth.
“There are those who claim this funeral cortege is inflammatory. It is nothing of the sort and should any police officer or member of the public wish to cause trouble then they should stay away.
“The Bayoh family want Sunday to be a peaceful and dignified farewell to their beloved Sheku.”