Canada stun gun death 'not justified'

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, the guy was compliant. It was the officers, or the officer in charge more precisely, who used more force than was necessary. They came in ready to deal with something bigger, but didn't change gears when they realized what kind of situation it was. It's like sending a swat team after a pickpocket. It's like they couldn't wait to use their toys.

 

[Leviathan]

They could have tried talking to the guy first - that was their mistake.

Lets assume that the aggravated dude didn't just need a chat.

Now lets assume no tazer.

...they'd have to knock the guy down and restrain him. That method has never ended in a heart attack? That's never gotten anyone injured? Given the choice I'd rather risk the tazer.

Smack them for being too quick on the draw - fine. I don't buy that it got him killed.

 

[Garak]

My only issue with this is that I don't know how 4 RCMP officers couldn't take the guy down without using the taser. I've seen 2 RCMP officers in the same airport remove a guy just as big from a plane while he was kicking and screaming.

The guy needed to be subdued though, no doubt about that. You just don't act like that, especially in airports in this day and age.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

An initial use of the tasers might have been justified. Hitting him 5 times, though? I'm unaware of any instances where it's necessary to zap someone so many times--and given that he died, it's demonstrably unsafe to do so.

 

[DBR]

The fact that he was tasered five times is what has always baffled me too. It's easy to perceive that the officers were just having fun after that.

 

[Colonel Green]

The guy needed to be subdued though, no doubt about that. You just don't act like that, especially in airports in this day and age.

The officers hadn't seen him do anything inappropriate. Any knowledge they had of any violent behavior was completely secondhand. They made no effort to engage him peacefully.

By your logic, the police would be perfectly justified in tackling you to the ground or tasering you on the basis of a 911 call about shouting, even if you answered the door politely and unarmed when they when the arrived.

The man very well MAY have had to be subdued, but the fact remains that the officers made no effort to determine if that was the case. They walked into the room and tasered a non-threatening suspect without a moment of hesitation.

 

[Danny99]

This thread continues to suppose these cops are just idiots with a happy taser trigger finger.

As improper as they acted, they must've seen something to justify their actions. Not every Tom, Dick, or Harry is allowed to be a police officer.

 

[Garak]

The guy needed to be subdued though, no doubt about that. You just don't act like that, especially in airports in this day and age.

The officers hadn't seen him do anything inappropriate. Any knowledge they had of any violent behavior was completely secondhand. They made no effort to engage him peacefully.

In the video you can plainly see him pick up a table and throw it at the glass partition. The cameraman even says "right in front of the cops". Granted, that was actually a security guard, but the security guard obviously radioed in the man's behaviour to the police, hence their presence. The police have no reason to doubt him, they work in tandem.

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By your logic, the police would be perfectly justified in tackling you to the ground or tasering you on the basis of a 911 call about shouting, even if you answered the door politely and unarmed when they when the arrived.

Not at all. The man was acting the fool, holding furniture above his head like he was going to throw it, and then actually throws it. In an airport to boot. If I was damaging property then I'd totally expect to be taken down by police. Not with a taser though, which is what I have a problem with in this instance - there were 4 RCMP officers, and they're telling us they can't physically take the suspect down without use of a taser? Give me a break.

The man very well MAY have had to be subdued, but the fact remains that the officers made no effort to determine if that was the case. They walked into the room and tasered a non-threatening suspect without a moment of hesitation.

They should have just tackled him, that they didn't and went straight for the taser is a tremendous mistake on their part.

 

[DBR]

This thread continues to suppose these cops are just idiots with a happy taser trigger finger.

As improper as they acted, they must've seen something to justify their actions. Not every Tom, Dick, or Harry is allowed to be a police officer.

And there you go assuming that these cops are model law enforcement officers. It's the same difference.

Fact is, only they know what they were thinking, and nothing that has been reported or that's come out of this inquest has led me to believe that they needed to use the extreme force that they did.

And for the record, I have nothing but respect for the people who wear the badge. I'm not advocating that we lynch these cop, but a good, hard look at the situation can only help to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again.