Collingwood man dies after being tasered by police in group home
Friday, June 25th, 2010
The TASER bodycount continues to climb. At least we were spared the spectacle of police accusing this disabled individual of being on cocaine, the usual excuse for death by electrocution.
Related: Toronto police disclose Tasers often used on mentally ill | PQ wants probe after Taser used on mentally challenged man
Jeff Gray, The Globe and Mail
June 25, 2010
An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday morning on the body of a 27-year-old man who died after Ontario Provincial Police used a Taser to subdue him at a Collingwood, Ont., group home.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit is probing the death, which occurred after OPP were called to intervene after a man assaulted a elderly woman at the home.
At least four OPP officers confronted the man, whom the SIU identified as Aron Firman, around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The OPP say he became “combative” and assaulted an officer before police used a Taser to subdue him.
The SIU, which probes incidents involving police that result in death or serious injury, is looking into the death, said the man then became “unresponsive.” The OPP says its officers performed first aid. The man was then taken to hospital and pronounced dead. The assaulted officer was also taken to hospital with minor injuries, OPP said.
The final inquiry report on the death of Robert Dziekanski has concluded the RCMP were not justified in using a Taser against the Polish immigrant and that the officers later deliberately misrepresented their actions to investigators.
B.C. Supreme Court accepts that findings could have commercial implications for weapons’ maker
Toronto police zapped or threatened with stun guns at least 50 people with mental-health problems last year, according to a new report that provides the most detailed information yet on how local officers use the controversial weapon.
The company that manufactures Tasers has no more right to dictate regulations for their use than cigarette makers do over second-hand smoke regulations, says the B.C. government.
The City of Montreal will hold public hearings on April 27 about the use of stun guns by police officers, the city’s public consultation office announced Thursday.
RICHMOND–The mother of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski says her battle with authorities is over after she received a financial settlement and an apology from the RCMP for its role in the death of her son.