Man did not die from Taser shock: medical examiner
Last Updated: Thursday, March 26, 2009 | 5:12 PM MT
CBC News
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An Edmonton man who died after police tried to subdue him with a stun gun in October did not die from the effects of the device, the medical examiner has found.
Trevor Grimolfson, 38, died from a state of "excited delirium brought on by the effects of drugs he had taken," according to Alberta Justice spokesperson David Dear.
"Excited delirium is a state of extreme excitation that can be fatal. It can lead to a state of exhaustion where the heart stops," Dear said.
On October 29, 2008, police used a Taser stun gun or conductive energy device (CED) on Grimolfson after they were called to the area of Stony Plain Road and 153rd Street in the city's west end on reports a man had attacked someone in a tattoo shop.
Police found Grimolfson in a nearby pawn shop and used the Taser, a gun intended to incapacitate people with an electric shock, on him twice because he was "combative," a police spokesperson said at the time.
Grimolfson lost consciousness after he was put in handcuffs and was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.
A fatality review board will review the case to determine whether a fatality inquiry should be called, Dear said.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the incident.
ASIRT is an independent agency that investigates incidents involving police that result in death or serious injury.
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