Mounties involved in airport Taser death to appear at inquiry: RCMP
Last Updated: Friday, December 12, 2008 | 5:04 PM PT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
- VIDEO: Supt. Wayne Rideout's response to no charges against Mounties (Runs 11:09)
- VIDEO: Assist. Comm. Al MacIntyre's response to no charges against Mounties (Runs 4:24)
- No charges to be laid against RCMP officers in airport Taser death
- VIDEO: Stan Lowe's full statement about why there will be no charges (Runs 19:09)
- Dziekanski Taser inquiry will not be postponed again: commissioner
RCMP Supt. Wayne Rideout says the four officers involved in Robert Dziekanski's death acted according to guidelines. (CBC) The four Mounties involved in a Taser-related death at the Vancouver airport last year will participate in a public inquiry that has been looking into the use of Tasers and circumstances surrounding Robert Dziekanski's death.
Dziekanski, 40, died in the airport's secure arrivals area on Oct. 14, 2007, shortly after being stunned at least three times by RCMP Tasers. The newly arrived immigrant from Poland, who did not speak English, had been wandering around the airport lost for hours before being approached by RCMP officers.
B.C.'s criminal justice branch announced Friday there will be no charges against the four Mounties involved after deciding that independent evidence available was not sufficient to result in any criminal convictions.
The RCMP held a press conference after the announcement, stressing that the officers deployed to handle Dziekanski followed guidelines.
They were acting within their legal duties to detain and restrain Dziekanski, and their actions "represented a reasonable escalation and de-escalation of force based on the actions of the subject," according to a report released Friday by the province's criminal justice branch.
The report was written by a use of force expert brought in from a separate police department by the RCMP to investigate the conduct of the officers.
2 Mounties transferred to East Coast
RCMP Supt. Wayne Rideout said two of the four officers have since been transferred to the East Coast, while the other two remain with the force in B.C.
The names of the officers were never made public by the force, but Rideout said they will take part in the Braidwood Inquiry ordered by the provincial government.
"Certainly those officers have a position that they can take. They have lawyers that represent them," Rideout said.
"My understanding is, as I speak to you today, that the officers will participate in [phrase two of] the Braidwood Inquiry."
RCMP Assistant Commissioner Al MacIntyre says that the force has made a number of changes to its Taser policies. (CBC) The provincial government appointed former B.C. Supreme Court Judge Thomas Braidwood to conduct the public inquiry.
Braidwood said in November that the inquiry had been postponed twice because the B.C. Crown had not decided if charges would be laid against the four Mounties involved in the Taser incident.
Since it has been decided that the Mounties will not face charges there is nothing to delay phase two of the inquiry, scheduled to start on Jan. 19, 2009.
RCMP assistant commissioner Al MacIntyre said Friday at the press conference that the force has made a number of changes to its Taser policies in terms of "training, practices and reporting requirements."
"We are certainly open to making further improvements," he said.
Some of the changes made include:
- Restricting the use of Tasers to incidents involving threats to officers or public safety.
- Requiring RCMP officers to be re-certified annually on the use of Tasers.
- Testing of the weapons themselves.
- Ongoing analysis of reporting on Taser usage.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim

