Editorial: Delirious Fatality report

January 7, 2012
Calgary Herald

The fatality report into the death of Gordon Bowe adds ammunition to the argument that public inquiries too often become a waste of time and money.

Provincial Court Judge Heather Lamoureux’s recommendations are curious, in that they are almost entirely built around the theory that excited delirium is a legitimate medical condition, an assertion that’s controversial and widely disputed. She concluded Bowe, 40, died as a result of excited delirium syndrome, which she says was brought on by cocaine use, and not from the deployment of a Taser gun, used by Calgary police trying to subdue him.

Her nine recommendations in the seven-page report almost all deal with developing protocols around excited delirium, treating it as a legitimate condition without reference to the controversy or debate in the medical community. She calls for mandatory training of emergency response workers, police and dispatchers in identifying excited delirium, and wants a national database established, where police chiefs across Canada would “record and share information relating to death associated with Excited Delirium.”

There’s another school of thought that warns the controversial diagnosis of excited delirium is a distraction from the true cause of the medical condition that caused the death, and is used to justify use of force by police.

The exhaustive Braidwood inquiry into the Taser death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski heard overwhelming evidence that, while delirium is real, excited delirium is “NOT a valid medical or psychiatric diagnosis.” Moreover, it “provides a convenient post-mortem explanation for in-custody deaths where physical and mechanical restraints and conducted energy weapons were employed.”

Just a year ago, another provincial court judge in Halifax, who presided over an 11-month inquiry and wrote a far more comprehensive 460-page report, to Lamoureux’s seven pages, reached conclusions similar to Braidwood’s.

Provincial Court Judge Anne Derrick rejected excited delirium as the cause of death of a man Tasered repeatedly by police. She warned: “This case should sound a loud alarm that resorting to ‘excited delirium’ as an explanation for a person’s behaviour and/or their death may be entirely misguided.”

Excited delirium is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the medical community’s bible for diagnosing psychiatric illness. Even an independent report commissioned by the RCMP criticized the term and concluded it is sometimes used as an excuse to justify using a Taser.

All that aside, asking police officers to diagnose the mental state of an agitated suspect in the midst of a crime scene places too much responsibility on those who are not trained psychiatrists.

John Dooks, president of the Calgary Police Association union, offers another perspective. Dooks supports any tools that can help better educate and train officers, so that they are able to identify the symptoms described as excited delirium, regardless of whether or not excited delirium is a legitimate medical condition.

We agree there are physical attributes that are common in all of these cases that police would do well to understand and recognize. When these symptoms present themselves, police should refrain from using stun guns on the suspects, and call for medical help immediately. A public inquiry isn’t needed to reach that conclusion.

EDITORIAL: Delirious over delirium

The Globe & Mail NAILED IT in yesterday's editorial!!

January 4, 2012
Globe and Mail

Canada does not need a national delirium over “excited delirium.” This supposed cause of many deaths in police custody, including those involving the use of tasers, was laid to rest after the exhaustive Braidwood inquiry following the 2007 death of the Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski.

Why then has an Alberta judge ruled that Gordon Bowe, tasered and restrained by several officers, died from “excited delirium syndrome”? Why is Judge Heather Lamoureux of Alberta Provincial Court proposing everything from the training of police dispatchers in diagnosing “excited delirium” to the creation of a countrywide “excited delirium” database?

“Excited delirium” (overheating and wild behaviour) is a blind alley, not a recognized medical condition. It is a convenient way to avoid tough scrutiny of police practices that may contribute to death.

Mr. Braidwood, a retired appeal court judge, spent two years and oversaw two inquiries, one on the overall safety concerns around the taser, and one on Mr. Dziekanski’s brutal death after being tasered five times by the RCMP at the Vancouver International Airport. He spoke to experts in emergency medicine, cardiology, electrophysiology, pathology, epidemiology, psychology and psychiatry. Judge Lamoureux did not refer in her seven-page ruling to Mr. Braidwood’s 1,000-plus page reports.

Mr. Braidwood concluded that “excited delirium” is not a medical condition. By contrast, delirium is a recognized cognitive and brain dysfunction that is a symptom of an underlying medical condition. This is not just semantics; it points to the real problem – dealing with a sick individual without killing him. “It is not helpful to blame resulting deaths on ‘excited delirium,’ since this conveniently avoids having to examine the underlying medical condition or conditions that actually caused death, let alone examining whether use of the conducted energy weapon and/or subsequent measures to physically restrain the subject contributed to those causes of death.”

Mr. Bowe was on cocaine and acting wildly in a dark house. The tasering and heavy-handed restraint by Calgary police may or may not have been justified – though the judge should have questioned “kicks to the side of Mr. Bowe’s body.” Any policy built around “excited delirium” would be an irrational response to such a death. Judges and policy-makers should read Mr. Braidwood’s reports.

Alberta judge suggests database for excited delirium

WHO substaniates ED as being anything, beyond a wide list of symptoms? (Dr. Christine Hall?!) The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) doesn't recognize it. And Braidwood concluded ED is hokum. Who's right? Where is the definitive science on the subject?

WHY do you only hear of ED in the wake of CEW-related deaths?

WAS the output of the CEW 'measured'? If not, the ME acted without full information. In other words his conclusion is flawed.

Even if the CEW was measured, there would still be the little problem of protocol. The CPRC, RCMP, BC Solicitor General's Office and probably the Alberta government, have accepted the 600 Ohms test protocol from TI. This is exactly the same mistake made over a decade ago- no one in government verifying the scientific or medical claims. In this case it is a mode of measurement that is flawed: it is admitted by the developers from Carleton/MPB/Datrends that their test is 'uncomprehensive' and NOT independent. An inflated resistance value in the protocol IS, however, a good way to cover the tracks of past mistakes, as now virtually all CEWs will pass!

And if Gordon Bowe WAS suffering a truly psychotic episode (from cocaine or anything else) this is exactly the worst thing an officer could do. When in a state of fear, pain, high stress and agitation, your PH level in the blood is already plummetting; to add the pain and fibrillation of lactic-acid-producing muscles to the mix can be enough to take a vulnerable person over the edge.

January 3, 2012
CBC News

A fatality inquiry into the death of a man during an encounter with Calgary police recommends a national database on excited delirium.

It’s just one of nine recommendations released Tuesday into the man’s death after Calgary police used a stun gun to arrest him three years ago.

Officers found Gordon Bowe from Castlegar, B.C., behaving erratically in the basement of a vacant house in the southeast community of Fonda Park in 2008.

Police described Bowe as jumping and diving off walls, saying he fought against officers for several minutes during the arrest then was "very still and did not look like he was doing well."

Bowe was being restrained by four city police officers who had been called to investigate a possible break and enter. The 30-year-old had also been shocked with a Taser, although the stun gun did not appear to work according to officers.

The medical examiner's report said Bowe's death was caused by excited delirium due to high levels of cocaine, not the use of a Taser.

At the time, Bowe's family said the arresting officers should have recognized the state he was in and treated him accordingly.

Provincial court Judge Heather Lamoureux had nine recommendations, including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police create a database to record and share details about deaths due to excited delirium.

"For the same rationale as a provincial system is required, similar reporting on a national scale would provide an enormous amount of data upon which the Canadian police chiefs could conduct research," wrote Lamoureux.

Officials with the organization were unavailable for comment.

More training needed

Another key recommendation is that all police agencies in Alberta train their officers annually in the identification and management of excited delirium incidents, and that training should involve real case studies and scenario-based training.

Lamoureux noted Calgary police are already training officers about the condition, but it's not being done throughout the province.

The report also suggests that all 911 call takers and dispatchers providing services to police agencies receive updated training on excited delirium.

Excited delirium, also known as autonomic hyper-arousal, is characterized by increased strength, paranoia and suddenly violent behaviour. It is further marked by profuse sweating and an elevated heart rate.

Dr. Christine Hall, an expert on excited delirium from Victoria, is attempting to document all excited delirium cases across the country which involved police restraint.

Hall testified last year at the inquiry there is insufficient data to determine whether all cases of excited delirium lead to death. But she said the risk of death increases with physiologic stress, such as a physical encounter with officers.

She suggested police need to better recognize the symptoms of the condition and try to reduce the stress of people they are placing under arrest.

"It was Dr. Hall's observation that more time must be taken to teach police that individuals who 'give up' suddenly during a physical interaction with police may in fact be in need of urgent emergency care," said the judge's report.

Controversial diagnosis

Two years ago, a judge examining the death of a man Tasered by Halifax-area jail guards ruled out the cause of death as excited delirium. The judge in that case, Anne Derrick, ruled Howard Hyde died because jail guards applied restraint techniques that interfered with his breathing. Hyde was a longtime paranoid schizophrenic.

Derrick noted there is considerable controversy within the medical community as to whether excited delirium is a legitimate condition.

The issue came under scrutiny during the public inquiry into the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died in 2007 after he was Tasered by a Mountie at Vancouver International Airport.

A subsequent independent report commissioned by the RCMP also criticized the use of the term excited delirium. It said the condition is sometimes used as an excuse to justify firing stun guns.

In 2009, the RCMP restricted the use of stun guns to cases involving threats to officers or public safety, because officers had been instructed to use the weapons to subdue suspects thought to be in a state of excited delirium.

That term no longer appears in RCMP operational manuals, because the force believes officers can't be expected to diagnose it.

Family finds closure in fatality inquiry of man who died after being Tasered

August 26, 2011
Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald

The family of a man who died after being jolted by police with a stun gun during an arrest nearly three years ago walked away from a fatality inquiry Friday with a better understanding of what happened.

However, although they now know for sure Gordon Bowe was afflicted with cocaine-induced excited delirium syndrome, they say they still are not totally clear about why he died on Nov. 1, 2008, after allegedly breaking into a home on 42nd Street S.E.

“It answered a lot of questions for me,” Robert Bowe of Vancouver, the father of the deceased, said outside court. “I still have some doubts about some of the things that happened, but I don’t put any blame on the police officers or anybody else involved.

“Some of the procedures and training (of police) may be inadequate when it comes to this type of thing.”

Robert Bowe said he still believes the use of a stung gun should be a last resort and, if possible, officers should avoid trying to restrain someone in such a heightened state for as long as possible.

“Let it run it’s time out and if the person doesn’t survive, there’s even more evidence to try to help educate people,” he said. “I feel good about the outcome of this (evidence). It’s just a sad thing my son happened to be one of the very few.”

He said it was more likely his son, in the state he was in, was not trying to hurt anyone, but it was a chemical imbalance and he was fighting for his life.

It was determined after the fact that Gordon Bowe, 30, suffered from excited delirium and that the stun gun deployed by the city police officer, one of four officers trying to restrain him, did not play any role in his death.

The devastated father also warned all young people that they should never take illicit drugs even once, because they are then susceptible to excited delirium.

John Chernenkoff, the deceased’s father-on-law, said he feels a lot better after hearing the evidence at the inquiry, but said he is not happy with the discrepancies between the evidence of the police officers and the report by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.

“What happened in this incident, as far as the outcome, is still up in the air,” he said. “We will be making some recommendations. We’ve drawn up a few, but we want to finalize them before presenting them to the judge.”

Mary Erschbamer, Gordon Bowe’s stepmother, said she was happy to find “he was not a criminal, that this was an illness.”

Dr. Christine Hall of Victoria, who has done extensive research on excited delirium for the past decade, told court that it would be beneficial to better understand the rare illness. She added it would be beneficial if police agencies keeping track of all such in-custody incidents were to provide better data to herself and other researchers.

Currently, she said, they are only scratching the surface and still face great opposition from critics in the medical field.

She told Crown lawyer Jo-Ann Burgess said she wished more physicians were involved in assisting the study, but it’s a tough sell because of the level of personal criticism she faces from a skeptical portion of the medical field.

“It’s difficult to engage physicians in a controversial topic, but if we had better data and better understanding scientifically, that would be much easier,” Hall testified.

“Also, just for people to realize we’re talking about a very, very small proportion of people, as we understand at the moment. So changing things isn’t rapid, but we need to follow it. . . . This notion that it’s all a giant coverup and it’s all a big conspiracy theory, we’re really ignoring the medicine.”

Robert Bowe said he was pleased with the studies Dr. Hall is doing on the illness now and will continue in the future.

“She’ll possibly have some recommendations to have better procedures for the future to stop deaths when police encounter this situation,” he said.

Provincial court Judge Heather Lamoureux invited all interested parties — the family, Calgary Police Service, Taser International, Alberta Health Services and Emergency Medical Services — to provide suggested recommendations to her by Oct. 31.

She will then file a report outlining the evidence and recommendations, if any.

'Excited delirium' very real, MD says

August 26, 2011
Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald

The officer who fired his Taser at a man who had allegedly broken into a southeast residence says it would have been difficult to do things any differently, given the information he and his fellow officers had.

"If at the time we knew the house was 100 per cent vacant, our tactics could have changed," Const. Stefan Van Tassell testified Thursday at a fatality inquiry.

"If there was nobody else in the house and he only could have harmed himself, we could have bought more time."

Van Tassell said it was only later determined that Gordon Bowe, 40, was in a state of excited delirium when he and other officers arrived at what they believed to be an occupied home in the 500 block of 42nd Street S.E. on Nov. 1, 2008.

The four police officers involved in subduing Bowe, including Van Tassell, were subsequently cleared of any potential wrongdoing and the investigation concluded the stun gun did not play any role in the man's death.

Dr. Christine Hall, a Victoria emergency room physician who has spent the past 10 years researching excited delirium syndrome, said Calgary police are "the gold standard" in incorporating training of the rare affliction.

"We're trying to give police agencies enough to know what to deal with," she testified. "A lot of people don't believe there is something significantly different about people who die in custody and the thinking is 'whoever touched him last must have caused his death.'

"But as a medical researcher, you look at the cases, you change the names, places and dates, and it's the same symptoms."

Hall said some doctors have never seen excited delirium and "think it's crap," but hers and other researchers' goals are to define the factors that police should be aware of when dealing with someone who has excited delirium.

She said such people are agitated, incoherent, are often partly naked and exhibit enormous strength.

Hall said she has submitted a research paper on the subject to the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, to help identify the symptoms and how to handle someone with excited delirium.

"It's very easy after the fact to look back and have all the cards fall and say, 'How couldn't I see that?' " she told provincial court Judge Heather Lamoureux, who is hearing the inquiry into Bowe's death.

"But it might not be an obvious thing while it's going on. Even though you're educated, you're not expecting that to happen. You have no idea somebody is going to die."

Court previously heard that Calgary police dealt with 37 arrests of people with excited delirium over the most recent three-year period examined.

She said it is being examined where such a suspect might be sedated from a distance, but that is difficult because of dosages and concerns the person might flee before it takes effect and either be injured or passed out somewhere unknown.

Van Tassell told Crown lawyer Jo-Ann Burgess that he and his partner arrived at the home and he used his flashlight to see the intruder through a broken window into the dark basement.

"I observed him in the baseent," Van Tassell said, alludng to Bowe.

"He was very irritated and aggressive. He was shouting, flailing his limbs about. I announced, 'Calgary police, you are under arrest,' several times. He didn't acknowledge me. I continued to issue challenges to him."

The officer said he then drew his Taser gun and deployed it through the open window and saw the man fall backwards, but he got up again fairly quickly and began moving toward him.

Van Tassell said he then went into the basement and saw Bowe running back and forth. He fired the stun gun two more times, but believed he missed the target at least once before he went down.

"I pulled the Taser, because it was the most effective means of taking him under control without injury," the officer told court.

Van Tassell said it took four officers, including himself, to finally handcuff Bowe. It was only after they got the cuffs on him that they suspected he was in an excited delirium and they summoned paramedics.

Van Tassell said he could not specifically recall if he had warned Bowe that he was intending to use his Taser if Bowe didn't comply.

The officer said the man was grunting and snorting heavily and never did give a verbal response. It was only at the point that he was handcuffed and subdued that it was suspected he might be in a state of delirium from use of illicit drugs.

"He wasn't communicating properly, just grunting, and I realized excited delirium was a possibility," Van Tassell recalled, "but I couldn't say with certainty he had excited delirium.

"He had been running around flailing, not fully clothed, but it was not until after the cuffs were on we thought it might be excited delirium."

The fatality inquiry continues today.

Police defend use of stun gun on delirious man

August 25, 2011
Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald

CALGARY — The city police officer who fired his stun gun at a man who had allegedly broken into a southeast residence says it would have been difficult to do anything differently, given the information he and his fellow officers had at the time.

“If at the time we knew the house was 100 per cent vacant our tactics could have changed,” Const. Stefan Van Tassell testified at a fatality inquiry.

“If there was nobody else in the house and he only could have harmed himself we could have bought more time.”

Van Tassell said it was only later determined that the man they encountered, Gordon Bowe, 40, was in a state of excited delirium when he and other officers arrived at what they believed to be an occupied home in the 500 block of 42nd Street S.E. on Nov. 1, 2008.

The four police officers involved in subduing Bowe, including Van Tassell have been cleared of any potential wrongdoing and the investigation concluded the stun gun did not cause the man’s death.

Van Tassell, now in his seventh year with Calgary police, told Crown lawyer Jo-Ann Burgess that he and his partner arrived at the home and he used his flashlight to see the intruder through a broken window into the dark basement.

“He was very irritated and aggressive,” Van Tassell said. “He was shouting, flailing his limbs about. I announced ‘Calgary police, you are under arrest,’ several times. He didn’t acknowledge me. I continued to issue challenges to him.”

The officer said he then drew his stun gun and deployed it through the open window and saw the man fall backwards, but got up again fairly quickly and began moving toward him without saying anything coherently.

Van Tassell said he then went into the basement and saw Bowe running back and forth. He fired the stun gun again twice, but believed he missed the target at least once before he went down.

“I pulled the Taser, because it was the most effective means of taking him under control without injury,” the officer told court.

Van Tassell said it took four officers, including himself, to finally handcuff the large man while he was on the basement floor.

It was only after they got the cuffs on him that they suspected he was in an excited delirium and they summoned the awaiting paramedics.

Van Tassell said he could not specifically recall if he had warned Bowe that he was intending to use his Taser if he didn’t comply, but said it was standard practice to do so.

He said once Bowe was under control and searched for any weapons, some of the officers went to clear the residence, to be certain there was nobody else inside.

The officer said the man was grunting and snorting heavily and didn’t give a verbal response. It was only at the point that he was handcuffed and subdued that it was suspected he might be in a state of delirium from use of illicit drugs.

“He wasn’t communicating properly, just grunting, and I realized excited delirium was a possibility,” Van Tassell recalled. “But I couldn’t say with certainty he had excited delirium.

“He had been running around flailing, not fully clothed, but it was not until after the cuffs were on we thought it might be excited delirium.”

Excited delirium is described as a condition that includes a combination of delirium, physical agitation and anxiety that can include hallucinations, speech disturbances and disorientation that can lead to an elevated body temperature and superhuman strength.

Court heard previously that police deal with about a dozen cases a year of excited delirium. Although they are trained how to deal with such suspects, it is not always apparent initially what they are facing.

The inquiry continues through Friday.

Cops unable to curb excited delirium custody deaths, inquiry told

August 24, 2011
Kevin Martin, Calgary Sun

Regardless of restraint method, police forces continue to have in custody deaths related to excited delirium, a senior Calgary officer told a fatality inquiry Wednesday.

Insp. Chris Butler said cops have tried various methods to limit the number of suspects who succumb to the syndrome, including Tasers.

But despite efforts to find ways to subdue out-of-control individuals, police haven’t been able to find a way to reduce such deaths.

“No matter how we change the method of restraint to try to maximize the rate of survival, we still have in-custody deaths,” Butler testified.

He said the Calgary Police Service abandoned neck restraints in the early 1990s, using pepper spray instead, when it was believed the choke holds were causing deaths.

But when fatalities continued in North America, groups such as Amnesty International called for the banning of OC spray, believing it was to blame, Butler said.

Since then, the CPS has resumed training officers to use neck restraints in some instances when trying to subdue individuals, he said.

Butler was giving evidence at a fatality inquiry into the death of Gordon Walker Bowe, who succumbed to excited delirium on Nov. 2, 2008.

Bowe was shot with a Taser gun during his arrest the previous evening, when he was found in an agitated state in an under-construction home on 42 St. S.E.

A report from Taser International said the weapon discharged an electrical current for two to five seconds, but officers on the scene said it appeared to have no effect on Bowe.

Meanwhile, the lawyer for the U.S.-based company said his client is not looking at developing suspect-debilitating dart guns.

Inquiry Judge Heather Lamoureux had asked in June, whether “medical restraints” could be delivered through weapons.

“I raised the issue with Taser, they’re not working in that area at all,” David Neave told Lamoureux.

“It’s difficult to, from a distance, provide, or administer a drug that will calm a person down sufficiently to take them into custody,” Neave said.

The hearing, which can make recommendations to prevent similar deaths, but cannot find blame, resumes Thursday.

Four officers fought to subdue man in tragic struggle

June 15, 2011
Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald

CALGARY — Police had no alternative but to use physical force to subdue a man who was combative in resisting arrest, one of four officers who struggled with him at a southeast home testified at a fatality inquiry on Wednesday.

Const. Aron Johnston said it was believed that Gordon Walker Bowe, who allegedly broke into the unoccupied home on Erin Meadows Close on Nov. 1, 2008, was in a state of excited delirium.

“It was like bull wrestling ... he had incredible strength,” Johnston told lawyer Chad Babiuk, who represents Bowe’s relatives. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.

“Excited delirium has been recognized for 25 years. The best example I can use to describe it is ‘an adrenalin overdose.’ ”

Bowe, 40, was Tasered by one of the officers and died later at hospital, although it was subsequently determined by the medical examiner and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team that the Taser played no role in his death.

Court heard earlier he had consumed cocaine prior to the incident.

Johnson said he never saw the Taser being used, but did see the stun gun laying on the floor by the door after the struggle, picked it up and put it into his pocket.

He said he and his partner were about the fourth police car to arrive at the home that night.

Johnson said he looked in through a basement window into the dark bedroom and saw what looked like an intense struggle between Bowe and other officers.

“The officers were challenging someone to stop resisting and show his hands,” Johnston told Crown lawyer Cynthia Hykaway. “They were trying to get him to co-operate and restrain him. They were almost pleading with him to stop fighting.”

The officer said he entered the home and joined the other three officers.

They soon got Bowe to his knees, but he wasn’t giving up.

“I thought the officers were losing grip on the fight, so I kicked him, jumped on top of him and held him. It was like wrestling. I held him tight.”

Johnston said the suspect continued to wriggle and kick, trying to break free, then suddenly “the movements of his body were less and less” and after 15 seconds he stopped resisting.

The constable looked up and saw fellow officers Dave Stewart and Stefan Van Tassel were pouring sweat and breathing heavily.

It was only then, he said, that the rest of the house was checked for other people and EMS personnel who had been waiting outside the home were summoned to come inside.

When asked by Babiuk why the paramedics were not called in earlier, so they would be available immediately after Bowe was subdued, Johnston said they could not come in while a struggle was ensuing and the house was not cleared to ensure no other suspects were inside.

“We would never call EMS into a scene we don’t feel is safe. It was a fast-paced situation when we have someone who has committed a break and enter to a house and we don’t know if anybody else is in there,” he answered.

“I’d find it extremely difficult to have medical personnel standing behind us when there was a struggle with Mr. Bowe. Having medical personnel in the room when there is a major struggle would be dangerous.”

The inquiry before provincial court Judge Heather Lamoureaux wraps up later today (Wednesday), the resumes on Aug. 24.

The judge in a fatality inquiry cannot find fault, but can make recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Taser CEO testifies at fatality inquiry

June 14, 2011
Kevin Martin, Calgary Sun

Startled, a Calgary judge nearly jumped from her chair Tuesday when she thought a witness had activated a Taser gun.

But Rick Smith, CEO of Taser International Inc., assured provincial court Judge Heather Lamoureux the weapon he held on the witness stand was completely harmless.

Smith, using a Taser borrowed from the Calgary Police Service, was showing Lamoureux how the weapon is deployed by peace officers.

But when he clicked a disposable cartridge which contained the weapons darts and wires, Lamoureux jumped back.

“Ew, did you load it?” the judge said.

“No, because the battery is not in,” Smith said.

Smith, who founded the company which makes the law enforcement weapon, was testifying at a fatality inquiry into the death of a man in police custody.

Lamoureux is presiding over the hearing to determine what, if any measures, might be implemented to prevent deaths in the future like that of Gordon Walker Bowe’s.

Bowe’s November, 2008 death is being blamed on excited delirium syndrome, a drug-induced condition.

The 30-year-old was shot by police with a Taser when they found him in a vacant house under construction in the 500 block of 42 St. S.E., although the device didn’t conduct an electrical shock.

Smith testified that while there has been significant litigation commenced over the use of Tasers in the U.S., only one case in 140 that have been settled found any fault for his company.

In that instance, the weapon was determined by a jury to be a 15% contributor in the plaintiff’s death, he told inquiry lawyer Jo-Ann Burgess.

But while his company now instructs cops to aim towards the abdomen of suspects, instead of chest areas to avoid the risk of cardiac arrhythmia, there’s no evidence linking Tasers to heart attacks.

The hearing, which can’t find blame, resumes Wednesday.

Officer says man 'appeared crazy'

June 15, 2011
By Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald

A city police officer called to a break and enter at an Erin Woods home on Nov. 1, 2008, testified on Tuesday that it quickly became apparent the intruder was in a state of excited delirium.

"He appeared crazy," Const. Dave Stewart told Crown lawyer Cynthia Hykaway during the second day of a fatality inquiry into the death of Gordon Walker Bowe.

"His speech . . . I couldn't make out what he was saying. There was incredible jumping and sweating."

Stewart said he had some experience dealing with delirium in recruit training, but never dealt with a suspect before or since that day.

Bowe, 40, was Tasered by a fellow officer and died in hospital, but it was later ruled the stun gun did not play a role in his death. Rather, it was deemed to be from the delirium caused by use of cocaine.

Dr. Sam Andrews, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Bowe, earlier told co-Crown lawyer Jo-Ann Burgess there was no physical evidence that both probes from the Taser struck Bowe. He agreed that even if the Taser was properly deployed and successful in giving a deceased electrical charge, it had no prolonged effect on him.

Andrews said the state of delirium was caused by the use of cocaine, likely from a binge situation.

Rick Smith, CEO and founder of Taser International in 1993, told court there have been 170 civil litigation cases in the United States where the weapon was used and of the 130 or so completed cases, only once has Taser been deemed even partially responsible -and it was only for 15 per cent of the cause of a death.

He said most of the cases have been triggered by the victim taking toxic doses of amphetamines.

Smith, who demonstrated the use of the gun while in a safe mode without its battery, said they are now being equipped with video cameras to see what occurs for the five seconds or so they are being deployed.

However, he added, officers are using head cams to be able to capture not only the firing time, but what leads up to it and afterward, to give it context. That, however, was not the case in the confrontation with Bowe.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) investigated the actions of four Calgary police officers in the death of the Castlegar, B.C., resident, who travelled back and forth to Calgary for work, and reported there would be no charges laid against the officers.

ASIRT concluded Bowe, 30, was high on cocaine and died of excited delirium and not as a the result of a Taser or police actions.

The fatality inquiry continues today, then will be adjourned until Aug. 24 for continuation. A fatality inquiry cannot find fault, but the judge can make recommendations.

Inquiry probes 2008 arrest death

June 13, 2011
CBC News

An inquiry began Monday about a B.C. man who died after Calgary police used a stun gun to arrest him three years ago.

Gordon Walker Bowe, a 30-year-old resident of Castlegar, B.C. died one day after he was arrested in Calgary while intoxicated by cocaine on Nov. 1, 2008.

The father of two was taken into custody after officers found him behaving erratically in the basement of a vacant home in the 500 block of 42nd Street S.E.

Staff Sgt. Jim Gamlin — who was a team commander for the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which probes any use of force by police that results in serious injury or death — told the inquiry that officers struggled to subdue Bowe, even with several Taser shots.

ASIRT's probe concluded in 2009 that while a Taser was fired during the arrest, Bowe had "life-threatening levels of cocaine in his body."

Bowe's death was caused by excited delirium due to the ingestion of cocaine, ASIRT said, citing the medical examiner's report. The medical examiner is set to testify on Tuesday along with a representative from Taser International, the makers of the stun guns.

Provincial court Judge Heather Lamoureux will hear three days of testimony from witnesses before the proceedings adjourn, to resume again in August.

Fatality inquiry to focus on drug-induced delirium

April 7, 2011
Kevin Martin, Calgary Sun

The fatality inquiry into the death of a man who died shortly after his arrest by Calgary police will focus on “excited delirium,” the judge hearing the case said Thursday.

But the family of Castlegar, B.C. resident Gordon Walker Bowe said they don’t accept the drug-induced syndrome is what caused his death.

Widow Zoya Chernenkoff and her father, John, will be in attendance when the inquiry begins June 13 into Bowe’s Nov. 2, 2008 death following his arrest.

“I seen Gord when he was hooked up to life support in the hospital,” the man’s father-in-law told the Sun from his B.C. home.

John Chernenkoff said Bowe’s neck was swollen, leading him to believe police had knelt on him to subdue him, cutting off oxygen to his brain.

“It’s obvious he received a heck of a beating,” he said.

“That’s what caused the circulation to his brain to be cut off and that’s what caused his death,” he suggested.

Calgary provincial court Judge Heather Lamoureux told a pre-inquiry conference with lawyers handling the case she wants the hearing to centre on police and paramedic training in dealing with excited delirium cases.

“I think the focus is to see exactly what the police are doing now (in terms of education) ... and what the current education is for paramedics on what excited delirium is,” Lamoureux said.

“Paramedics are the first responders” in most cases, she said.

In August, 2009, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released findings that exonerated police in Bowe’s death, saying it was a result of excited delirium syndrome, due to, or as a consequence of cocaine toxicity.

ASIRT said at the time police attempted to Taser Bowe, 30, to subdue him after finding him in a vacant house under construction in the 500 block of 42 St. S.E., but the device didn’t deploy.

Among the witnesses Lamoureux will hear from is someone from Taser International, which will have counsel representing it at the inquiry.

The judge also wants to hear expert evidence about excited delirium, the results of the ASIRT investigation and the medical examiner’s findings.

Fatality inquiry scheduled for Gordon Walker Bowe

November 5, 2008: Clifton Purvis, director of the Serious Incident Response Team, said the autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday. The results, including toxicology tests, will take weeks, he added. "It would be inappropriate to comment on the actions of police officers at this time," said Purvis. "That's what our goal is, to examine the actions of the police officers and determine what their conduct was, whether it was appropriate or inappropriate." He said the team is made up of civilian investigators and seconded police officers who report to him, not their police chiefs. "I can tell you it will be independent because I'm heading the investigation, reviewing the investigation, and I'm the one deciding whether charges should be laid against police officers or not," said Purvis. "I'm not a police officer. I'm a lawyer with the prosecution service and I'm not beholden to anybody," he said.

May 8, 2009: "The Taser was deployed once, I don't know if he was struck." Alberta Serious Incident Response Team director Clifton Purvis

August 6, 2009: The taser was deployed three times, he [Alberta Serious Incident Response Team director Clifton Purvis] said, and twice it was not effective due to the missing prong. It was fired in “stun mode” a third time during the struggle with Mr. Bowe. Mr. Purvis said he's satisfied that Mr. Bowe died of excited delirium syndrome related to cocaine toxicity, not as a result of the taser.

Well, then, it's a foregone conclusion, isn't it??

OOPS - Wait just one minute:

"It is not helpful to blame resulting deaths on “excited delirium,” since this conveniently avoids having to examine the underlying medical condition or conditions that actually caused death, let alone examining whether use of the conducted energy weapon and/or subsequent measures to physically restrain the subject contributed to those causes of death." - Braidwood Report, July 2009

BOWE, Gordon Walker, 30, Calgary

On November 1, 2008, Gordon Bowe became unresponsive after being restrained as a result of an altercation with police. He was transported to hospital and died November 2, 2008.

Inquiry Date Scheduled: June 13-21, 2011, 9:00 a.m., Calgary Provincial Court, Judge H.A. Lamoureux

Pre-Inquiry Conference Date Scheduled: May 9, 2011, 1:30 p.m., Calgary Provincial Court

Excited delirium not Taser killed Gordon Bowe

"It is not helpful to blame resulting deaths on “excited delirium,” since this conveniently avoids having to examine the underlying medical condition or conditions that actually caused death, let alone examining whether use of the conducted energy weapon and/or subsequent measures to physically restrain the subject contributed to those causes of death." - Braidwood Report, July 2009

November 19, 2009
Canwest News

A Castlegar man who died after a fight with Calgary police was high on cocaine and died of excited delirium -- not as the result of a Taser or police actions -- a review has concluded.

Gordon Bowe's common-law wife, however, said Thursday that she's not convinced and is still blaming police officers for the incident in November.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which examines complaints about police use of force, deemed that police actions were justified in the death of Bowe, 30, who travelled to Calgary for work.

Clifton Purvis, head of the response team, said he came to his conclusions after reviewing the investigation, consulting with the medical examiner and considering the prosecution's opinion.

Excited delirium is a controversial term recognized by some medical examiners that has been used to explain deaths of individuals in police custody. Most doctors and psychologists do not acknowledge the condition.

Calgary police who fired taser not at fault in man's death: agency

"It is not helpful to blame resulting deaths on “excited delirium,” since this conveniently avoids having to examine the underlying medical condition or conditions that actually caused death, let alone examining whether use of the conducted energy weapon and/or subsequent measures to physically restrain the subject contributed to those causes of death." - Braidwood Report, July 2009

August 6, 2009
The Canadian Press/Globe and Mail

An Alberta government agency that investigates deaths linked to police says Calgary officers who fired a taser at a man are not responsible for his death.

“I've concluded that the actions of the four subject officers were justified in all of the circumstances,” Clifton Purvis, head of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, said Wednesday.

“No criminal charges will flow as a result of their actions in relation to this tragedy.”

Mr. Purvis said police were called Nov. 1, 2008, after someone spotted a man acting erratically.

When they arrived, they saw Gordon Bowe from Castlegar, B.C., in the basement of a vacant house, running in the dark and screaming.

He had cuts from breaking through a pane of glass and didn't respond to verbal commands from the police.

One officer fired his Taser while trying to arrest Mr. Bowe, 30, but since one of the machine's prongs did not make contact, the stun gun did not work.

Eventually the officers were able to physically subdue and handcuff Mr. Bowe, at which point they noticed that he was in medical distress.

Mr. Bowe was treated by paramedics on the scene and died in a Calgary hospital the next day.

The taser was deployed three times, he said, and twice it was not effective due to the missing prong. It was fired in “stun mode” a third time during the struggle with Mr. Bowe.

Mr. Purvis said he's satisfied that Mr. Bowe died of excited delirium syndrome related to cocaine toxicity, not as a result of the taser.

No marks on Mr. Bowe's body suggest the third attempt made contact, although it's not known for sure, he said.

Police Taser probe launched after Brooks man dies

May 8, 2009
By Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald

CALGARY - In his final moments, Grant William Prentice ran down a quiet Brooks street, banged on doors and demanded he be let in. And when police tried to arrest him, the 40-year-old Brooks man was Tasered and later died in hospital.

It now falls to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the provincial body that oversees investigations into use of force by police, to piece together Prentice's final hours, why the son of town councillor Bill Prentice, who sits on the Brooks Policing Committee, died and what role the controversial stun gun may have played in his sudden death.

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Prentice was seen running down Lake Bevan Place in the Alberta city 185 kilometres east of Calgary. His behaviour startled the residents on the quiet residential street.

"Some guy came knocking on my door; he tried to convince my kids to let him in the house. They locked the doors and he went running down the street. He seemed like he was running from something,"said a resident who said she did not want to be identified.

She said she did not recognize Prentice and said he had scratches on his face. Prentice asked the woman's 10-year-old daughter repeatedly to let him in, but the girl locked the door and a neighbour called RCMP, she said.

The resident said she did not witness the Tasering, but saw Prentice being placed in the ambulance.A day later, she's still glad her daughter locked the door.

"It's unfortunate the way it ended, but the police protected my family. That's all I care about," she said.

Prentice's family said they did not wish to make any public statements. The grieving family gathered at Bill's house to console each other after the sudden death.

Prentice's cousin, Shirly Prentice, said he worked in construction, but she was not very close to him.

She was stunned to get the phone call telling her Prentice had died.

"He would give the shirt off his back to help you out," said Shirly.

What is known so far from the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is that two RCMP members arrived to the call and were later joined by two more officers, but Prentice, who was known to police, resisted arrest. He had previously been charged with causing a disturbance in 2001.

"A struggle ensued and one officer attempted to subdue the male with his conducted energy device. At this point, it's unclear whether the device was successfully deployed," said director Clifton Purvis.

"The Taser was deployed once, I don't know if he was struck," added Purvis.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Patrick Webb said the police force was limited in what it could say since ASIRT was leading the investigation.The national police force has said it willco-operate fully with the investigation.

"RCMP regrets the outcome of this tragic incident, and is currently notifying the family of the deceased. The RCMP offers its condolences and support to the family as they deal with their loss."

Mayor Martin Shields said the family, and his council colleague, are hurting. "When a citizen dies suddenly, it's of a great sadness,"said Shields. The town is "feeling shock and dismay," he said.

Shields said the Prentice family has lived in Brooks since the'60s; it is Bill Prentice's first term on council.

This is the third incident involving a Taser that ASIRT has been called in to investigate. On Nov. 2, 2008, Cranbrook resident Gordon Walker Bowe died in police custody in Calgary after a Taser was used, though it may not have made contact with him. Less than a week before that, Trevor Grimolfson, 38, died in Edmonton after he was Tasered twice following a disturbance at a pawnshop.

On Aug. 10, 2006, Jason Doan, 28, of Red Deer was jolted three times by a Taser as RCMP officers tried to subdue him. He died three weeks later in hospital after going into cardiac arrest following the Taser deployments.

Across Canada, more than 25 people have died after they were Tasered.

Webb said he did not know if it is the same model of Taser that was recently found to be malfunctioning in independent tests of the stun guns. AlbertaX-26 model Tasers were recently found to malfunction 12 per cent of the time and the province's solicitor general has ordered tests of all Alberta Tasers.

Shields said the continued use of the stun gun is not a decision for him and his council to make, but one for the RCMP.

An autopsy will be conducted on Prentice in Calgary today.

EDITORIAL: Time to zap the Taser

November 10, 2008
The Province

Canada all but abolished the death penalty in 1976. It still exists for special cases in the military, though it is never used.

The last legal execution in this country was 1962 in Toronto's Don Jail, when two men, shall we say, dropped into history. Between 1867 and 1962, 710 people were executed in Canada.

It is a point of pride for millions of Canadians that we no longer hang our citizens.

Well, if you are one of those millions of Canadians, feel some shame that we continue to allow our police forces to Taser citizens to death.

Worse still, when we had executions, a prisoner could only be hanged for murder, rape or treason. Today, we let the police Taser people to death for mental illness, drug addiction or making a fuss at an airport.

Since 2001, Canadian police officers have killed at least 20 people with Tasers. That number could be as high as 25.

The poster corpse for Tasering gone wrong is Robert Dziekanski, 40, who died more than a year ago at Vancouver International Airport.

The world has watched the video of four RCMP officers casually approaching the frustrated man, then Tasering him to his eventual demise.

Let's look at some other lesser-known victims:

- Jason Dean, 28, in Red Deer, Alta., while running from police in August 2006;

- Roman Andreichikov, 25, high on cocaine and being restrained by Vancouver police in May 2004.

- Perry Ronald, 28, while being restrained by Edmonton police after jumping from a window in March 2004;

- Clark Whitehouse, 34, while running from the Whitehorse RCMP after being stopped in traffic in September 2003.

It is likely police had no cause to shoot any of these alleged criminals with a gun, yet they had the legal cause to blast 50,000 volts of electricity into them.

Sadly, the results would have been the same had they shot them in the head.

Death without trial.

On May 23, 2007, Amnesty International completed the report Canada: Inappropriate and Excessive Use of Tasers.

Here is the opening two sentences of that report:

"Children continue to be the victims of abusive use of Tasers by Canadian police officers. There have also been a disturbing number of cases where police officers have used Tasers inappropriately when there was no serious risk either to themselves or others present."

Just last week, Tasers were involved in two Alberta deaths:

- Gordon Walker Bowe, 30, was Tasered when police were called to investigate a suspicious person and a break-in;

- Four days earlier in Edmonton, Trevor Grimolfson, 38, died after police twice used a Taser following a struggle near a city pawnshop.

In light of these two deaths, Alberta Solicitor-General Fred Lindsay said he doesn't see any need to revisit the Taser guidelines.

Well, we disagree.

We don't think there should be any guidelines because we don't think the police should be allowed to use Tasers.

A death count of 20 to 25 as a result of Tasers is more than enough tragedy to call for a ban.

These people did not murder, rape or commit treason, yet they ended up in the same place as those two men in the Don Jail in 1962.

As the world saw in the Robert Dziekanski video, Tasering isn't police work. It's too easy. It's certainly a lot easier on the conscience than pulling out a gun and shooting the suspect.

But sadly, too often, the result is the same.

Taser International says taser reaction in Canada 'near insanity'

November 5, 2008
By NADIA MOHARIB, SUN MEDIA
The Calgary Sun

Knee-jerk reactions to a recent Calgary police call involving a Taser, and ultimately a man's death, are another example of baseless fearmongering about the device rampant in Canada, says a company official.

Although Steve Tuttle, Taser International communications vice-president, couldn't comment on the case here last week -- where a man died shortly after being arrested by cops who used a Taser in a bid to subdue him -- he said it appears to be another example where "hard science and fact is overlooked" in favour of conjecture and controversy.

And, he said, it is ultimately to the detriment of taxpayers who rely on police who have the tool as one way to protect the public.

"The absolute hysteria that has grabbed Canada ... borders on near insanity," Tuttle said yesterday from Scottsdale, Ariz.

"Not one coroner in Canada has ruled any death as caused by a Taser device or even contributory to date."

His comments come days after Gordon Bowe died shortly after being arrested by Calgary police during a Saturday night southeast break-in.

Police said the 30-year-old B.C. man was acting irrationally in the 500 block of 42 St. S.E., before he jumped through a window into a basement of a vacant duplex and a Taser was used to try and subdue him.

A police union official said Bowe, who appeared be under the influence of drugs, was hit by a Taser but only one probe struck him.

And such a scenario would render a Taser entirely ineffective, said Tuttle, explaining both a positive and negative probe on the device must make contact with an individual for it to work.

"It's an all-or-nothing scenario," he said. "Either you get a circuit or you don't ... the bottom line is, you need two probes for a five-second application."

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the case to determine if police actions were lawful and see if the Taser strike was successful or not.

ASIRT executive director Clifton Purvis said findings could take months with investigators now waiting on a medical examiner's report to determine cause of death.

And Tuttle said -- in any case where the facts are still unfolding -- it's premature and irresponsible for speculation on the Taser's role, if any, in a death.

"Of course, whenever you have a tragic death, emotions will run high, but you have to wait for the facts to come out," he said. "All that fearmongering and hysteria is jeopardizing citizens in terms of safety."

'How do I tell my kids they have no dad?'

November 5, 2008
Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald

Gordon Walker Bowe had packed his bags, called his loved ones and was supposed to be leaving Calgary on a bus Saturday night bound for his home in Castelgar, B.C.

It was the last time they would ever hear his voice.

Today, Bowe's family is in Calgary trying to figure out what happened in the hours between that phone call and his unexplained death after he was arrested by police, who used a Taser.

They want to know what role the officers played in his death, regardless of whether the stun gun was to blame.

"It doesn't make any sense," said Zoya Chernenkoff, 23, who lived with Bowe for three years, raising two children together. "How do I tell my kids they have no dad?"

On Saturday, police were called to investigate a break and enter in southeast Calgary. They found a suspect, later identified as Bowe, in an unoccupied basement on 42nd Street S.E.

A Taser was deployed once, though it is not clear if it delivered a charge.

Bowe was arrested after a struggle with officers. When police noticed he was in medical distress, he was rushed to hospital. He died Sunday afternoon.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the incident.

Although the case has garnered attention because of the controversy over Tasers, Chernenkoff and her father, John Chernenkoff, don't think that is what lead to his demise.

From what they've heard from doctors and the serious incident investigators, what they know of Bowe and what they've seen in hospital, they believe an inappropriate use of force by police is to blame.

The Chernenkoffs noticed significant bruising on Bowe's face, neck, legs, feet and inside his hands.

"Investigators said when police got on scene, Gordon was co-operative and submissive," said John.

He alleges the police did something to change that.

"Gordon has no defensive wounds, no bruising on his hands. If he was in a scuffle with police, there would have been some bruising," he claimed.

The Chernenkoffs allege it was police action that caused his death.

Bowe had no medical conditions that may have played a role, Zoya said.

Doctors told them there was no sign of contact with a Taser, she noted. They were also told there were trace amounts of marijuana and another, unspecified drug in his system.

The Calgary Police Service said it is unable to comment on these allegations because the matter is under investigation by an independent organization.

Calgary Police Association president John Dooks said the officers issued verbal warnings to the man, tried and failed with the Taser and then had to confront him in the vacant basement.

"There is no question, the police were forced to engage in a violent, physical struggle with this individual who, as I as a lay person describe, (was) in a state of delirium," said Dooks.

"It's unfortunate there was a struggle (but) there was an attempt for a lesser use of force was used. However, that failed and officers did have to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a person who was actively, forcefully resisting," he said.

Dooks said there would be injuries and bruising and he was told by the officers involved that Bowe was actively resisting arrest. Police said it seemed he was trying to escape, he said.

Clifton Purvis, director of the Serious Incident Response Team, said the autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday. The results, including toxicology tests, will take weeks, he added.

"It would be inappropriate to comment on the actions of police officers at this time," said Purvis. "That's what our goal is, to examine the actions of the police officers and determine what their conduct was, whether it was appropriate or inappropriate."

He said the team is made up of civilian investigators and seconded police officers who report to him, not their police chiefs.

"I can tell you it will be independent because I'm heading the investigation, reviewing the investigation, and I'm the one deciding whether charges should be laid against police officers or not," said Purvis. "I'm not a police officer. I'm a lawyer with the prosecution service and I'm not beholden to anybody," he said.

Zoya and her father say Bowe may have occasionally used drugs and had trouble with the law in the past.

Zoya did not want to elaborate on the legal troubles, but John said investigators told him about Bowe's behaviour during past arrests.

"Investigators said they looked at his previous records and this is not common for him. Whenever he was confronted before, he was always co-operative and it wasn't a problem," he said.

The pair hope for an unbiased investigation and that charges will be laid if appropriate. They are looking for a lawyer for possible legal action.

Deaths may have been 'delirium,' not taser

It was only a matter of time, dear readers - I've been wondering when the good Dr. Dowling, proponent of "excited delirium", would weigh in. Keep in mind that "excited delirium" is recognized by NEITHER the Canadian Medical Association NOR the American Medical Association.

The manufacturer of the taser, TASER INTERNATIONAL, favours Dr. Dowling's opinions SO MUCH they even quote him on their website: Medical Examiner Says TASER Devices Not a Death Sentence

November 4, 2008
Ryan Cormier, The Edmonton Journal

The death of a patient in a bizarre rage, possibly a victim of what experts call "excited delirium," has nothing to do with police restraint or Tasers, said Alberta's Chief Medical Examiner.

Dr. Graeme Dowling told the Canadian National Committee for Police that patients in such frenzies could die without being touched or even when alone in an apartment.

"To the best of our knowledge right now, it has nothing to do with the method of restraint. They may die in spite of what we do," he said.

Although not an official diagnosis, excited delirium has been studied by experts. It is characterized by blind rages, paranoia, profuse sweating, disrobing and greatly increased strength.

"They also have a real propensity to break glass," Dowling said. "They don't like mirrors. I don't know if it's that they don't like to see themselves in a paranoid state."

Dowling said it wouldn't be uncommon to need six to eight police officers to restrain someone in that state.

Excited delirium is usually induced by stimulants such as cocaine or methamphetamine. In fatal cases, the patient died within seconds or minutes of being restrained.

That could be because extreme levels of adrenaline and potassium in the body drop at different levels, stop counteracting each other and cause death.

With excited delirium, little has been proven because of the danger of testing a subject in the midst of the state.

The condition is often discussed parallel to police use-of-force because officers are often the first to deal with such aggressive people. However, there is no proof that anything an officer does causes such deaths, Dowling said.

"These cases were first documented in 1849. There weren't Tasers in 1849. There was no pepper-spray in 1849. Yet, these patients died."

There are fewer than 20 cases each year in Canada that can be connected to the condition, Dowling said.

Last week, witnesses reported that Trevor Grimolfson, 38, was combative, violent and couldn't be reasoned with as he broke windows in two stores and began assaulting people on Stony Plain Road. Police deployed a Taser, subdued Grimolfson and cuffed him. He then lost consciousness and was declared dead in hospital.

On Saturday night, Calgary officers encountered Gordon Walker Bowe in the basement of a vacant home while investigating a break and enter. Bowe, 30, reportedly struggled with officers before he was subdued. He was struck by a Taser, but investigators don't yet know if the electrical shock was actually delivered.

Bowe quickly went into "medical distress" after he was subdued. He reached hospital in critical condition and died a day later.

Bowe reportedly shattered a basement window to gain access to the empty home.

Autopsy results for Grimolfson have not been released. Bowe's autopsy is scheduled for today.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which is independent of any police force, is investigating both deaths.

On Dec. 24, 2005, Alessandro Fiacco attracted police while thrashing and screaming on a McKernan neighbourhood street, saying bugs were crawling on his skin. Fiacco was struck three times with a Taser and died on the way to hospital. A fatality inquiry listed Fiacco's cause of death as "acute cocaine toxicity," and said there was "a complete lack of evidence" the Taser contributed to his death.

Edmonton police Const. Ray Wood, of the Police and Crisis Team, said people who may be in excited delirium should be approached with care. "Their strength is just unbelievable," he said. "The power is tremendous, almost animal-like."

Shawn Miller, a registered psychiatric nurse who works with police, said a patient in delirium is almost never able to communicate properly. "Unfortunately, it's going to come down to restraint or use of force," he said. "Diagnosing is not going to be done by two officers on a street corner being yelled at by a guy with a piece of glass."