Mountie who Tasered Dziekanski to testify Monday

March 1, 2009
JEFF HODSON, METRO VANCOUVER

The Mountie who Tasered Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver’s airport will begin testifying Monday at an inquiry into the death of the Polish immigrant.

It will be the first time that Const. Kwesi Millington has spoken publicly about the high-profile death that occurred in the early morning of Oct. 14, 2007. Millington, along with constables Gerry Rundel and Bill Bentley and Cpl. Benjamin Robinson, confronted Dziekanski at the gates to YVR’s secure international arrivals area.

Dziekanski was Tasered and handcuffed and died shortly afterwards. A tourist from Victoria recorded the incident and the footage was broadcast around the world.

The testimony of Rundel and Bentley differed slightly in their accounts of the Tasering. Rundel, who testified first, said Dziekanski was still standing when Millington Tasered him for a second time. He said he recalled Cpl. Robinson saying to “hit him again.” Bentley, however, after reviewing the video, said Dziekanski went down after the first activation of the conducted-energy weapon.

The inquiry, which is headed by retired justice Thomas Braidwood, heard previously that the Taser was fired five times and for a total of 31 seconds. The three final activations were in “push-stun” mode, the device’s pain-compliance setting.