Mounties lawyers at Taser inquiry suggest firefighter didn't see everything
January 28, 2009
The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER, B.C. — Lawyers for the Mounties who confronted Robert Dziekanski the night he died say a fire captain who called the officers "unprofessional" didn't see the officers' efforts to help the man.
Capt. Kirby Graeme told a public inquiry that when he arrived minutes after Dziekanski was stunned by a Taser in October 2007, four officers were standing around and not monitoring Dziekanski.
Graeme says the Mounties even refused to remove the man's handcuffs so firefighters could properly assess him.
David Butcher, a lawyer for one of the officers, noted that Graeme observed the Mounties for less than a minute and suggested he didn't see what the officers were doing before firefighters arrived.
Butcher also focused on the considerable media attention surrounding Graeme's comments, suggesting to Graeme that his comments were inappropriate given the coverage they received.
But inquiry commissioner Thomas Braidwood cut Butcher off, saying questions about negative media coverage had nothing to do with the inquiry or what happened to Dziekanski.
1 comment:
Captain Graeme observed the RCMP officers for less than a minute when he arrived on the scene according to the defence lawyer representing the RCMP officers....those same RCMP officers observed Mr. Dziekanski for only 24 seconds before tasering him, according to eye witnesses on the scene....obviously Captain Graeme had more time to assess the situation. Unfortunately for Mr. Dziekanski, the RCMP officers did not. Those extra 36 seconds might have made a difference had those 4 officers taken the time to make an assessment rather than making the hasty call to use a taser..... before they even made eye contact with Mr. Dziekanski.
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