An assault beside the Yukon River on Tuesday afternoon has turned into a homicide investigation.

Colin Stephen Sawrenko, 52, died at 1:00 this morning, said Whitehorse RCMP.

Officers were called about the assault at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. They arrived at the Yukon River bank around Shipyards Park to find an unresponsive man with injuries.

He was immediately rushed to Whitehorse General Hospital by ambulance staff.

Sgt. Roger Lockwood did not have a description of the injuries, stating the investigation is underway and police do not want to reveal details that would jeopardize that.

'It's early in the investigation,' he said.

Police are pursuing questions such as whether a weapon was involved, the number of people who may have been involved, and the type of injuries Sawrenko suffered.

An autopsy has been ordered to determine Sawrenko's exact cause of death, Lockwood said.

The homicide appears to be isolated, he added.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity along the river bank around Shipyards Park on Tuesday afternoon to call the Whitehorse RCMP detachment at 667-5555 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

As of yet, there are no descriptions of potential suspects.

The RCMP's major crimes and forensic identification units, along with the territory's coroner's office, are investigating the matter.

Chief coroner Sharon Hanley said Sawrenko's body will be sent out for an autopsy tomorrow.

Preliminary results likely won't be available until at least Friday, though Hanley noted she has yet to confirm the details and timelines with a pathologist.

It will be up to the RCMP to release the cause of death once the autopsy is complete, she noted.

This marks the RCMP's first homicide investigation in the territory since December 2004, when former Carcross hotel owner Bob Olson's body was found in the Wolf Creek area of Whitehorse.

Last year, Dean Boucher and Mark Lange were found guilty of second-degree murder in Olson's death.

Both men are appealing their convictions.