Winnipeg, MB (Canadian Press) – A 17-year-old youth who died after being hit by a Taser was a suspect in a theft, police said Wednesday.
An officer deployed an “electronic control device” when the teenager refused to comply with repeated directions to put down a knife, said Const. Jacqueline Chaput.
“That poses a threat to the officers, that poses a threat to other members of the public and officers made the decision to deploy the electronic control device to ensure public safety as well as their own safety,” she said.
Police didn’t identify the victim, who was originally thought to be in his 20s.
The deadly encounter started Tuesday afternoon when two citizens flagged down a passing police cruiser to report that someone was stealing something from a vehicle. The pair had been following a youth around a neighbourhood in west-central Winnipeg.
When officers confronted the teen in a back lane near the National Microbiology Laboratory, he was brandishing a knife, Chaput said.
“The male refused to disarm himself, resulting in an officer deploying an electronic control device,” Chaput said.
Officers called for medical help and paramedics arrived quickly. The teen was taken in critical condition to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
It is the first death involving a stun gun and a Winnipeg police member, Chaput said. The department has been using Tasers since 2005. Officers continued to carry Tasers on shift Wednesday.
Calls for bans on the devices have followed several high-profile deaths.
In British Columbia, a public inquiry has been looking at Taser use in general. The inquiry is to focus this fall on the death of a Polish immigrant who died shortly after being Tasered by RCMP officers at Vancouver’s airport last year.
Robert Dziekanski had been waiting at the airport for several hours for his mother and RCMP were called after he became agitated. A video taken by a bystander set off a public outcry and resulted in several inquiries into Taser use by police.
The national police force pledged to restrict Taser use and give officers clearer direction on how and when to use them following a scathing report by RCMP Public Complaints Commissioner Paul Kennedy.
Earlier this month, Nova Scotia’s government issued new restrictions aimed at ensuring stun guns are used appropriately. An earlier study done for the province found officers had become increasingly reliant on the devices.
Recent Comments