Man found dead in car near North Richmond injecting room

Neighbours have been left shocked after a man was found dead in a car from a suspected heroin overdose near the controversial injecting room.

Needle packets and a container were found strewn in a car where a man died of a suspected overdose in North Richmond. Picture: Supplied

A man was found dead from a suspected drug overdose just metres from Richmond’s controversial injecting room.

Two men were found lying in a car parked on Smith St on Friday, December 23, with paramedics discovering one man dead, while the other was unconscious from a suspected heroin overdose.

He was transported by paramedics to St Vincent’s Hospital in a stable condition.

A Victoria Police spokesman said the death was not believed to be suspicious.

A spate of shocking incidents near North Richmond’s injecting room have been reported since it opened in June 2018, including a man being found dead near the school last year and other shocking reports of overdoses.

The death was not believed to be suspicious. Picture: Supplied

A resident, who asked not to be named, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years, told the Herald Sun neighbours were “shocked” by the death.

“This is just terrible, yet another death that is drug-related,” she said.

“It’s clear the injecting room is not working.

“This happened so close to Christmas and for families to have to see this is just horrible.”

Images inside the car, where the suspected overdoses occurred, shows needles and a container strewn across the driver’s floor.

Neighbours said they were also concerned after witnessing several drug users openly injecting in cars and then driving off.

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the death was a tragedy.

“Labor’s injecting room continues to fail as another tragic death occurs just meters away from it, and where residents again are exposed to overdoses, drug dealing and anti-social behaviour,” she said.

Earlier this year, documents released to the Herald Sun under Freedom of Information laws revealed the true extent of what Richmond West Primary School students had encountered since the injecting room opened.

One of the incidents included a man exposing himself outside the school fence, next to the playground in November last year.

Neil Mallet, whose son attended the school this year, said: “We’ve seen young guys get in utes while being high during pick-up time and families are still being exposed to drug users publicly injecting.”

“I recognise the value of the facility, but it is in the wrong location – the risk to children is too great,” he said.

A state government spokesman said the injecting room was established to change lives and since opening had safely managed more than 6200 overdoses and saved at least 44 lives.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of any person that loses their life due to addiction,” he said.

“North Richmond Community Health employs a highly trained outreach services team, that have a strong presence to provide support and assistance to people who use drugs and to encourage clients into the injecting rooms which has led to a decrease in public injecting.”

The government said the injecting room was located in north Richmond because drug use and antisocial behaviour has been an issue that the community has grappled with for decades.