I think this story has made it world wide.  There was a horrible killing at the Vancouver airport when the police tasered a man and killed him.  He was from Poland and was coming to visit his mother.  For some reason airport security were holding him for like 10 hrs, I'm not sure their reason yet, but he went buggy and the police were called in and they tasered him and he died.

here is the footage, be warned, it's disturbing to see someone actually die.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHKk5qQRzL4

That is just insane!
They didn't need to that to him just because they couldn't understand each other.

Could you imagine going to a different country, not speaking the language, and you are held against your will?

He probably thought "they" were going to kill him... and they did.

The poor guy was having an anxiety attack, sweating, scared to death.

So what if he busted up a table. That didn't make it alright for them to taser him.
I hope those guys who did that get thrown in a very small room for a long, long time. Maybe they'll act up, and get tasered themselves.

Now I'm upset.

Humm... I got deported from that country. They let us go after about an hour of questions, but that was at the border, not an airport. I'm glad it was at the border, and we all spoke English.

Cindy

Yep, that story has made it around the world. It was on TV here, but I also read about it in the Swedish news.

Incidently, not long ago there was a taser incident here at UF "Don't tase me bro". That guy however was found to be wrong and the cops were cleared.

I could see it if the guy was coming after a cop, but there were, what, three or four of them, and he wasn't going after them to hurt them. He was cowering back.

I live pretty much 15 minutes away from the airport where this happened and it's been on the news every day this week, so by now I've accumulated quite a bit of knowledge about what happened.

First of all, they're not saying that the tazer was actually the cause of death.  They're saying it was asphixiation from when the cop had his knee on his neck for about 1 minute straight.  It's not a standard police manuever, but it is not illegal in situations where the suspect is resisting.

He was in the area for 10-ish hours -- but he wasn't acting that way the entire time.  The thing is that his mother, that he was visiting from Poland, told him to wait where he was actually waiting.  The problem was that she didn't realize that she wasn't allowed in that area.  So for the next 10 hours she pleaded with the security to go find his son.  They kept telling her that everything would be alright.  And during this time, he grew more and more restless and I guess when nobody decided to help him, he snapped.

Now before the video was realeased, the cops pretty much lied about everything that happened.  They said there were only 3 cops on the scene(there were 4 in the video)and they also lied about a couple other things that I've forgotten.  They also said that they decided to tazer him as quickly as they did because he was weilding a stapler(which is true, but c'mon...seriously?)and that in less than 5 minutes, a plane was arriving and their would be a surge of about 300 passengers in the area.  That's also the reason why they said that they didn't initially use pepperspray

I think this is horrible.  I hope that all these officers receive severe punishment and if that doesn't happen, at least this will not be forgotten soon and they'll have to try and live their lives with everyone knowing what they did.  I'm glad this is receiving worlwide notice because hopefully it means the use of the tazer will be reviewed for like the 10000th time and maybe they'll stop using it.  I know it's effective but if it's killing people, they might as well be using their handguns and shooting people in the foot.

Hopefully this makes more sense of the story.

Although the RCMP are directly to blame for this incident, there are also questions concerning the role of YVR (airport) staff. Believe it or not, after 10 hours waiting for her son, the mother was told that he was not in the airport and she drove home (4 hours away) only to arrive home to a message asking her to return to the airport.

Airport security should never have let this escalate to the point where the victim was hysterical. There was a clear lack of communication that set to motion the unfortunate outcome.

After seeing this, there was clearly no need to use a Taser on him. No reason whatsover. I'm glad this was taped and I'm glad this issue has been brought to light.

If you have seen this on the news, the cry and shriek of a dying and scared man will haunt you forever.

May he rest in peace.

Stew

AN Update

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Four police officers involved in the death of a Polish immigrant from a Taser stun gun have been reassigned, officials said Saturday.
  
Federal police commissioner William Elliott would not say how long the officers would be assigned to other duties. He acknowledged that images of Robert Dziekanski's death in a videotape shot by a bystander are "disturbing for anyone who sees them."

The 40-year-old Dziekanski, of Gliwice, Poland, was shot by officers using a Taser stun gun a month ago at Vancouver International Airport.

Elliott said, however, it would be inappropriate for anyone "to draw conclusions based on these images alone." He defended the use of Tasers by the force, saying they are safe and effective in most cases, but called for a thorough review of the incident.

"This serious event deserves a comprehensive and complete examination," said Elliott, whose comments were prompted by the public outrage that ensued after video footage of the incident was released this week.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have said they are reviewing Taser use. Eighteen people have died in Canada after being hit with a Taser in the last four years.

The man who shot the videotape, Paul Pritchard, said he initially thought that police acted appropriately. But he said he has changed his mind after watching the videotape, which he lent to police and was returned to him a month later.

The video showed officers zapping a distressed Dziekanski twice, 46 seconds after arriving on scene, and then physically subduing him on the floor. Dziekanski died at the scene.

"He wasn't acting violent in any way. That's what is most disturbing," Pritchard said.

It was Dziekanski's first flight, and was to be the start of a new life with his mother in western Canada.

Dziekanski, who spoke only Polish, had begun acting erratically at the airport. He apparently became upset when he did not see his mother after waiting for about 10 hours in the secure baggage area — which she was not allowed to enter.

Police used the stun gun as Dziekanski was walking away from them, with his back to them.

Elliott said several investigations would be conducted, including those by a homicide unit and the coroner's office in British Columbia and an independent commission that looks into complaints against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Reassigned!

Charges should be brought against them!

Dziekanski was throwing items around the airport and creating a disturbance prior to his detainment.  While the end-result of this incident is tragic, I don't see the police acting inappropriately.


Phil

Quoted from dogglebe Dziekanski was throwing items around the airport and creating a disturbance prior to his detainment.  While the end-result of this incident is tragic, I don't see the police acting inappropriately. Phil

The problem Phil, is that he was doing that a couple of hours before the police arrived. By the time they arrived he had actually calmed down. By then, he was more afraid than angry. The reason why the police tasered him (in their original report, not sure if that has changed since the video was released), was that he was carrying a dangerous weapon... a stapler.

The Taser (I am led to believe) is supposed to be a last-resort measure. Clearly from the video, apart from talking to the victim as they approached, no other measure were taken. He turns his back to the police and Zap.

A couple of weeks ago in downtown Vancouver, a crazed man was weilding a chain and hammer and causing a disturbace and threat. He struck down an officer attempting to calm the situation and when back-up arrived, they tried to difuse the situation, but could not get close enough to taser him. Thefore, when he charged them (some say he was running away), they had to open fire and get to the downed police officer. A lot of people say the RCMP over-reacted. I say they did what they had to to get to the fallen officer. The reason why I mention this, is there is a clear difference between handling a situation between a man weilding a chain and hammer and a main weilding a stapler.

There's probably a lot of kids on YouTube right now watching this video and posting "Fuck the police!" and "Police brutality! Rodney King!" I'm definitely not one of those people but I do think these cops used excessive force. A tazor's supposed to incapacitate, not kill. I'm positive this poor guy was well incapacitated before he died and if this guy had indeed calmed down by the time police arrived, they had no reason to tazor him. Three or four cops against one guy with a stapler? WTF? Are these guys really that threatened of an office supply? Perhaps the tape has more information but I refuse to watch it. I have no interest in watching a real human being die. Overall, I think this was a tragic event that didn't need to happen.

This is coming from someone who thought the "don't taze me, bro" kid at the John Kerry forum was an idiot and was basically asking to be tazered.

Quoted from MacDuff The Taser (I am led to believe) is supposed to be a last-resort measure. Clearly from the video, apart from talking to the victim as they approached, no other measure were taken. He turns his back to the police and Zap.

Hand guns are the last resort measure (unless airport police in Canada don't carry them).  Tasers are designed to be non-lethal.  If one killed somebody, you can't blame the cop who used it.

Maybe I missed something, but wasn't this guy holding a chair up?  Not exactly the sign of a calm person.



Phil

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511392004

The use of Tasers has become almost standard practice.

We live in frightening times.

Governments now consider us all suspects and treat us as such.

Just how far are we going to alow them to sink?

I don't thin the police should take the whole blame, YVR has a LOT of explaining to do.

First, why was he held for 10 hrs?

Second, After 10 hrs why couldn't they find a translator?  Thy could have gone on the PA and say "hey, anyone here speak Polish, it's a major airport, I'm sure they could have found somebody.

Third, Why didn't they tell his mother when she asked about him?  Do they not communicate with their staff?

Fourth, Why did they not tell the Police he was Polish, they must have known from his passport, The RCMP thought he was Russian which means they didn't even talk to them and explain the entire situation to them.

The RCMP did act excessive, but I feel most of the blame should be held to YVR, if they would have acted properly this man would not be dead, he would be at home with his mother.  There are no excuses for their behavior, and because of their irresponsibility's a man is dead.

The police did exactly what they were supposed to do.  They detained an agitated passenger.  It's not their fault the airport couldn't find a polish translater.  They used a taser on him and not a handgun.  It was not their intention to kill him.


Phil