Richard Daniel Wolfe, one of the founders of the notorious street gang Indian Posse, died Friday after being found in need of medical attention at the Prince Albert Penitentiary where he was serving time, according to prison officials.

No cause of death was provided.

The Correctional Service of Canada released a statement Saturday in which they said Wolfe, 40, was in the exercise area of the prison when it became apparent he needed help.

It was not clear if Wolfe had suffered an injury at the hands of others.

The statement said Wolf was taken to Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert where he was pronounced dead at approximately 10:40 p.m. CST Friday.

Wolfe was sentenced in January for committing a violent sexual assault in Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask., in 2014. Wolfe was on parole at the time of the offence, having served part of a lengthy sentence for attempted murder.

Investigations launched

Officials said various authorities have been notified of Wolfe's death, including police and the provincial coroner's office.

The corrections service will also, in accordance with its policies, be reviewing the circumstances of his death.

Troubled background

When Wolfe was sentenced for the 2014 sexual assault, the court noted he had a lengthy criminal record which included many violent incidents. The court also took note of his deeply troubled upbringing.

"Richard and his younger brother, Daniel, were unsupervised as children," the judge said in the sentencing decision.

"They lived in poverty with little to eat. Richard and Daniel soon learned to steal vegetables from gardens and food from dumpsters simply to survive. Richard first began using drugs at the age of 10 or 11, and by the age of 11, he had begun consuming alcohol."

Daniel Richard Wolfe, younger brother of Richard Daniel Wolfe, died in a prison stabbing in 2010. (Submitted to CBC)

Daniel Richard Wolfe — also well known to the criminal justice system — died in custody in 2010, at 33, in what authorities described as a prison fight.

The two brothers were among seven founding members of the Indian Posse gang. It was noted that Richard eventually disassociated himself from the gang in 2000.

Attempted murder conviction

In 1996, Richard Daniel Wolfe was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the 1995 attempted murder of a Winnipeg pizza delivery driver who was shot in the chest.