Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/3/2009 (4848 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Allan Maciak on Thursday told the inquiry investigating Dziekanski's October 2007 death that RCMP Cpl. Monty Robinson said Dziekanski had only been Tasered once.
Const. Kwesi Millington, who fired the Taser shots, said he had hit Dziekanski three times, the paramedic testified.
Maciak said that when he arrived at the scene, Dziekanski was dead.
He said he could see that Dziekanski had turned blue as he lay on the floor surrounded by RCMP officers and Richmond firefighters, Maciak said.
There had been four Mounties at the scene when Dziekanski was Tasered.
In a previous statement to police, Maciak said he was surprised to find firefighters not doing anything to assist Dziekanski, since they were trained in first aid.
Due to a growing gap between the RCMP version of events and video evidence, the Polish-Canadian community is demanding that a "special independent prosecutor" be appointed to investigate Dziekanski's death.
Robinson, the lead Mountie, has admitted he asked to "change" his evidence after viewing a video of the death that was taken by a bystander.
The inquiry heard that in his initial report, Robinson claimed 12 times that the Polish immigrant swung a stapler at the officers.
This report, along with those of his fellow officers, was proved wrong by the video of Dziekanski's death.
"I was mistaken but I was telling the truth. I sort of blended the whole interaction with him," he told the inquiry earlier this week.
None of the four Mounties involved in Dziekanski's death have been charged.
In testimony heard earlier this week, Robinson said the Polish immigrant "didn't give us the opportunity" to warn him before he was Tasered, as per RCMP policy.
"It wasn't tactically possible," Robinson said Tuesday.
Robinson said that Dziekanski grabbed a stapler and threatened the officers.
When the man took a step toward police, Robinson told his colleague to fire a Taser.
"I thought he was going to hit me with the stapler," Robinson said.
When asked why he told Millington to deploy his Taser less than 30 seconds after the officers arrived at the scene, Robinson again cited time constraints.
Dziekanski had become agitated after spending more than 24 hours travelling and 10 hours stranded at the airport.
In October, Robinson, 38, was suspended with pay after facing charges in a car accident that killed 21-year-old motorcyclist, Orion Hutchinson.
Robinson, who was off-duty at the time, faces charges of impaired driving causing death and exceeding the legal limit. He had his driver's licence suspended for 90 days.
-- Canwest News Service
