Witness alleges man who died was tasered 4 times

October 16, 2007
CBC News

Sima Ashrafinia, an eyewitness with cellphone footage spoke out Monday night about what she saw at the Vancouver International Airport when a man was Tasered by RCMP and later died. She filmed the incident at the airport on her cellphone and told CBC News that RCMP officers stunned the man four times and handcuffed him after he fell on the floor. "The third and fourth ones were at the same time," she said. "The officer at his right and the officer at his left, they Tasered him at the same time and he fell down on his right. As he fell down, four or five officers gathered around him and handcuffed him while he was on the floor," Ashrafinia said.

She also alleges she offered to tell the RCMP officers what she witnessed. One officer said, "I'll be with you in a few minutes," she said. But the officers did not take a statement from her, she alleges.

Ashrafinia said she never felt the man was a threat.