Verdict: Canadian police tasered new immigrant to death

[Hannah Bell]

Two and a half years after the police killing of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver, British Columbia International Airport, retired Appeals Court Justice Thomas Braidwood has issued the findings of the public inquiry he led into Dziekanski’s death...

A construction worker and former miner, 40-year-old Robert Dziekanski was tasered to death by four RCMP officers, ten hours after disembarking from an airplane so as to join his mother as a newly arrived immigrant to Kamloops, British Columbia. Dziekanski, who spoke no English, had become disoriented as he passed through the various immigration and customs checkpoints at the airport and was unable to meet or make contact with his mother who waited for him outside the secure baggage claim area.

Ten hours later, exhausted, exasperated, lost and confused, he was confronted by four RCMP officers who, despite his compliant demeanor, administered a taser gun shock to him within twenty-four seconds of their meeting. Dziekanski immediately fell to the floor, writhing in pain where police hit him with four additional shocks, handcuffed him and placed a knee on the stricken man’s neck. Police then stood idly by, failing to check for vital signs, as Dziekanski lay hogtied and unconscious with his skin turning blue in a clear sign of asphyxiation. When paramedics arrived, the police initially refused to remove the handcuffs to allow proper medical attention. Dziekanski was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

During the two days immediately following Dziekanski’s death, the RCMP issued a series of statements full of errors and lies. These included claims that Dziekanski was “violent,” that he was “armed” (with an office stapler), that he “continued to flail and fight” after being felled by the first taser-shock, that he was tasered only twice, and that Dziekanski’s “vital signs were monitored while waiting for emergency medical personnel...”

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jun2010/cana-j24.shtml

[hlthe2b]

1. I remember this case... How dreadful we've had so many similar

in this country since... Those damned things need to be banned.

[Kerrytravelers]

2. I want to react with something deep and profound. But really, there are just no words. None.

[glitch]

3. We're going mad. nt

[polly7]

4. I was so glad to read of this.

Mr. Dziekansi was obviously confused and terrified in the original video. He was also in a room isolated and would have hurt no one. Had a translator been brought in who could have gotten instruction on how to reach his mother, he'd have calmed down and been fine. RCMP are fully trained in defense holds, my BIL used to work in northern posts and was able to handcuff people by himself, even if they did fight. Four of them should have had no problem getting him down if they thought it necessary and restrained him. They didn't give him a chance. That same BIL and I have been arguing over this, he was all for defending it and kind of contemptuous of my opinion ............ ha ......... too bad bro, justice is served.

[slampoet]

5. ALL of these murders are walking free with GOVT paychecks!! This article is NOT good news.

"The four policemen who killed Robert Dziekanski are all still on the police payroll. Three have been re-assigned to other duties whilst a fourth, the supervising corporal during the killing, is suspended with pay while he contests an unrelated charge of impaired driving causing death."


Did you catch that?

And one of them is a DOUBLE MURDERER


Apparently you have to kill two people in two separate incident to even get suspended WITH pay.

[arikara]

6. I know, its disgusting

He not only killed that poor man in the airport with the taser but them he went out and drove drunk, mowed down and killed a motorcycle driver then left the scene. His excuse was that he had to take his kids home, and have a couple of drinks. The guy is a piece of work I can't believe he's still getting paid. Unreal. RCMP are right out of control.

[polly7]

7. Yes, I caught that.

You're right, in that respect justice wasn't served. I should have rephrased that. But, this may well be used as the best reason for a complete rethink about these tasers across the country. Hopefully, it will stop further attacks like this and force a change in RCMP policy. As to the actual four, I hope they will be disciplined internally now that they've been judged to have committed 'misconduct'. Sad for Mrs. Cisowski that apart from an apology she didn't get to see them fired ...... I do have a feeling the RCMP will do something about them.

[Swamp Rat]

8. kick