Taser Testimony Continues to Disturb
DZIEKANSKI DEATH
Officers did not help tasered man, firefighter testifies
VANCOUVER -- Firefighters who rushed to Vancouver's airport in the minutes after Robert Dziekanski was stunned by an RCMP taser found a pale, unresponsive man face down in handcuffs as officers stood metres away doing nothing, a public inquiry into the man's death heard yesterday.
Richmond Fire Department Captain Kirby Graeme said when he arrived in the early morning of Oct. 14, 2007, the officers weren't helping or monitoring Mr. Dziekanski, and at one point even refused to remove his handcuffs so he could be properly assessed.
Minutes earlier, the same four Mounties had confronted the Polish immigrant, who had been throwing furniture around in the airport's international arrivals area.
"To see a patient face-down, handcuffed and not being tended to in some way, shape or form, I thought, 'Something's not right here,' " said Mr. Graeme, a firefighter with more than two decades of experience.
The above are the headlines and opening paragraphs of a report in this morning's Globe. I think it tells us more of what we need to learn and raises the questions again about these four officers of the law.
Read the full story here.
2 comments:
My wife is a 62 year old critical care and emergency room nurse. In 40 years of nursing, she has frequently been involved with hysterical, out-of-control patients and has never had to kill any of them. She and other nurses are expected to deal with these people by defusing difficult situations. And, they don't do this with drugs - they don't medicate unrestrained violent patients.
The police have established a culture too involved and reliant on violence. They should hire a few old lady nurses to teach them some alternative people handling techniques.
And a few more Kirby Graemes, please?
Thank you Kirby, for standing up to the bullies - RCMP and lawyers alike.
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