Monday, October 15, 2007

Canada Taser update: 16 people died in last 5 years after being tasered by Canadian Police

If there are still people out there that think the Taser gun is harmless, then think again. According to Mr. Ward, sixteen people have died in Canada (6 in BC, that's 36% in one province!) after being shot with a Taser gun:

April 19, 2003: Terrance Hanna, 51, Burnaby, B.C.

July 22, 2003: Clay Willey, 33, Prince George, B.C.

Sept. 28, 2003: Clark Whitehouse, 34, Whitehorse, Yukon

March 23, 2004: Perry Ronald, 28, Edmonton

May 1, 2004: Roman Andreichikov, 25, Vancouver

May 13, 2004: Peter Lamonday, 38, London, Ont.

June 23, 2004: Robert Bagnell, 44, Vancouver

July 17, 2004: Jerry Knight, 29, Mississauga

Aug. 8, 2004: Samuel Truscott, 43, Kingston, Ont.

May 5, 2005: Kevin Geldart, 34, Moncton, N.B.

June 30, 2005: Gurmeet Sandhu, 41, Surrey, B.C.

July 1, 2005: James Foldi, 39, Beamsville, Ont.

July 15, 2005: Paul Sheldon Saulnier, 42, Digby, N.S.

Dec. 24, 2005: Alesandro Fiacco, 33, Edmonton

Aug. 30, 2006: Jason Doan, 28, Red Deer, Alta.

Oct. 14, 2007: Unidentified male, Vancouver airport

When will this stop?

12 comments:

lance said...

16 in 5 years? Could you find a more obscure reason for death? Oh, I know . . . .

How many people wearing clown suits, unicycled to their death on the 401 over the last 100 years?

The Horror, The Horror! Who will stop the HORROR!

Erik said...

You probably think you're funny lance, right?

There are no official numbers on how many times the police actually pulled the gun, therefore it's hard to asses how bad this gun really is.

What we do know is that 16 people are dead after being stunned with this torturous weapon. And that's 16 to many.

Anonymous said...

your a damn fool if you don't see the effectiveness of this tool....

certainly there are dangers, but weighed against the usual situations in which these are used i think its warranted

150 pound female cop vs rampaging 200 pound possibly drunk assailant or whatever... well she could pull her gun? lets hope he doesnt take it from her and shoot her in the face.... tasers have probably saved more lives then they will ever kill... to date.... there is no way to compute what could have been

i dont think they should ever stop using them... i have been tasered... it is effective... "torturous weapon?" your a moron... its an incapacitating weapon and they proabably won't ever stop using them... doesn't mean people don't abuse the power though.... tasers dont kill people.... people do

Erik said...

You're right anonymous, tasers don't kill people, but people WITH tasers do.

That's why we should get rid of the tasers. Or are you suggesting we get rid of the RCMP altogether?

And you're also right when you claim they are effective: 16 people DID die, effectively, by Canadian police WITH tasers.

It's time to put a halt to this.

It's interesting to read how you refute your own statements:
tasers have probably saved more lives then they will ever kill... to date.... there is no way to compute what could have been

Interesting.

Anonymous said...

I have a broken neck but take meds so I can do normal things.I might lose it one day from my injury and if they taser me I would die.If a cop needs to stop a person with a weapon then ok, but they are trained to cuff people and hold them. Also why didn't they do any cpr on the guy at the airport? 3 big guys with vests and gloves had a problem putting cuffs on on guy? They should lose their jobs!were was the cpr they are all trained to give? looks like man slater charge to me.If one guy died then I have a problem and it should never be used for none weapon attack. It's like the cops don't want to get thier hands dirty or even break a sweat lazy cops who don't belong on the police force. If a woman cop needs help with a drunk then get backup and wait, unless the guy is hurting someone the best thing to do with drunks is let them cool down.The taser was for use when you would need a gun not to hurt anyone who tries to resist arrest.It's like Canada has a strong death penalty in BC.Don't need a judge to hand it out what a joke.

Anonymous said...

Oh ya give me the list of people saved by the taser gun.Why would 3 strong cops need to taser a man new to Canada with no strength left in him after waiting 10+hrs plus plane trip wow these cops must have been tariffed when they came upon that monster! I with no training would have helped that man and without a gun just a smile and the word of kindness easy to do.We need to change the way the police attack people instead of trying to help first were not at war with the people and the cops must stop using force anytime they feel like it.I don't use force every time I get pissed off I try and calm down and fix the problem. I know the cops have stress and maybe they need more rotation from bad areas to good areas so they don't get in a tough stance when they find a problem.

Anonymous said...

Canada should immediately ban Taser use or raise it on the Use of Force Scale to parallel the use of a gun. Quite simply, Taser claims that Taser saves lives. Please tell that to the hundreds of victims that have died after being zapped with a Taser. Tom Smith and company are blinded by the bucks. Tasers can not be tested to see what a Lethal Dose on a human population would be -- that would be Murder. So lets face it, Taser devices have NEVER BEEN PROPERLY TESTED. They are being tested on the public and then Tom Smith denies liability. What a crock Tom. I hope Canada askes to see Taser's LD-50 report. There isn't one !!!

Anonymous said...

Simple facts. Canada does not have a Death Penalty. Taser's violate human rights in Canada. Seventeen people have been SUMMARILY EXECUTED where a Taser was involved as a Weapon. We must hold our goverment accountable for this manslaughter.

Anonymous said...

News Release

AMR 20/004/2007
16 November 2007

Canada: Amnesty International reiterates call to suspend police use of tasers following airport death


Amnesty International (AI) is reiterating its call on the Canadian authorities to suspend use of tasers, after watching a video showing the last moments of a man who died after being stunned by police at Vancouver International Airport last month.

The video footage released this week shows Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski being restrained after he became agitated in the airport arrivals area. The video shows him being stunned more than once, including while he was restrained on the floor by police officers. According to an eye witness, an officer also used his knee to pin Dziekanski’s neck and head against the ground. Another officer is seen striking him several times with a baton. Minutes later, a medical emergency team pronounced him dead at the scene.

The case reinforces AI’s concerns about the safety of electro-shock weapons as well as police use of excessive force. AI has documented 16 other cases in recent years where individuals have died in Canada after being stunned with police tasers. Nearly all were subjected to multiple shocks as well as other force. In the overwhelming majority of cases those who died were unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat when they were subdued by police.

International standards require that police should use force only as a last resort, in proportion to the threat posed and in a manner designed to minimize pain and injury. In Robert Dziekanski’s case, AI is concerned that police appeared to have flouted such standards by resorting almost immediately to the use of tasers, without exhausting non-violent means. AI is also concerned by the overall levels of force deployed, including what may have been a dangerous restraint hold.

AI said there remained serious questions about the health risks involved in electro-shock weapons. The potential dangers of being subjected to multiple shocks were highlighted in a report commissioned by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, which warned in 2005 that “police officers need to be aware of the adverse effects of multiple, consecutive cycles” of electro-shock weapons.

In the USA more than 280 people have died after being shocked by police tasers. Although coroners have attributed most such deaths to other causes, the taser was found to have been a cause or possible contributory factor in more than 30 of the deaths.

In a report issued earlier this year, AI called on the Canadian authorities to suspend their use of tasers pending a rigorous, independent inquiry into their use and effects. Departments which continue to use them should strictly limit their use to situations where offices would otherwise be justified in using deadly force, when no lesser means were available.

Anonymous said...

UN Committee Says Taser Stun Guns Are Form Of Torture - AFP
12:16pm ET November 23, 2007

GENEVA (AFP)--Taser electronic stun guns are a form of torture that can kill, a U.N. committee said Friday after several recent deaths in North America.

"The use of these weapons causes acute pain, constituting a form of torture," the U.N.'s Committee against Torture said.

"In certain cases, they can even cause death, as has been shown by reliable studies and recent real-life events," the committee of 10 experts said.

Three men, all in their early 20s, were reported to have died in the U.S.this week, days after a Polish man died at Vancouver airport after being tasered by Canadian police.

The man, Robert Dziekanski, fell to the ground and died after the police officers piled on top of him. There have been three deaths in Canada after the use of Tasers over the past five weeks.

The company that makes the weapons has said similar deaths have been shown by "medical science and forensic analysis" to be "attributable to other factors and not the low-energy electrical discharge of the Taser."

The U.N. committee made its comments in recommendations to Portugal, which has bought the newest Taser X26 stun gun for use by police.

Portugal "should consider giving up the use of the Taser X26," as its use can have a grave physical and mental impact on those targeted, which violates the U.N.'s Convention against Torture, the experts said.

Taser is a brand name of Taser International Inc. (TASR).

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-23-07 1216ET

Copyright (c) 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Anonymous said...

Really want to see the TASER TORTURE. Warning, this is NOT NICE.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyrgn_the-us-air-force-tasered-fully-cons_animals

Anonymous said...

Taser employee blows the whistle. There appears to be an internal coverup going on to protect the money machine.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2b3b519c-56ae-402e-bfb2-fd8565ee9c35&k=19086&p=1

If this is true, we can't believe anything coming out of Taser.

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