RCMP issues lethal taser blast in Vancouver

An as yet unidentified passenger has died in police custody at Vancouver International Airport in Canada. The man was said to have become unruly; shouting in a language possibly from Eastern Europe, banging on glass windows and throwing computer equipment and chairs around the customs area.

When the man continued his tirade while police attempted to restrain him, two taser blasts were given and he was then put in handcuffs. The problem is that he died just a short while afterwards. Police Sergeant Pierre Lemaitre of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told media,

“We don’t have the … cause (of death), Based on our review of the B.C. coroner’s service and past cases where individuals have died following the use of a Taser, what we’ve seen is they are usually due to a pre-existing medical condition or the use or abuse of legal or illegal drugs. The Tasers have not contributed to the actual death.”

Despite the defense of taser use, Vancouver lawyer Cameron Ward says that there have been 16 deaths directly linked to being stunned with a taser.