Inquiry examining Taser use, Dziekanski's death begins Monday

A two-phase public inquiry into the use of Tasers by police and the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski begins Monday in Vancouver.

Retired B.C. Appeal Court justice Thomas Braidwood will open the first phase of the inquiry, which will focus on the medical and scientific aspects of the stun gun's use.

The second phase of the inquiry will focus on Dziekanski, who died in the arrivals lounge of Vancouver International Airport on Oct. 14, 2007, shortly after RCMP officers used a stun gun on him. 

The two-phase inquiry may result in restrictions on the use of Tasers by municipal police forces — but not by the RCMP — B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said in February. The inquiry has no jurisdiction over the RCMP because the force is federally regulated.

Dziekanski, 41, was emigrating to Canada to join his mother, Zophia Cisowski, in the B.C. Interior city of Kamloops.

Cisowski hopes the inquiry will force police to stop using the conducted energy weapons, said her lawyer, Walker Kosteckyj.

He said he will be delivering his client's message at both phases of the inquiry.

"Look, there ought to be a moratorium on this weapon until there's enough information about it," Kosteckyj said in an interview.

"Clearly, this weapon has caused problems and her son should have been the last tragedy and it shouldn't have been a tragedy to begin with."

Braidwood has until the end of June to hand in his report on the first phase of the inquiry, but he's asked for an extension to October. The second phase of the inquiry and a coroner's inquest into Dziekanski's death have been put on hold while the Crown prosecutor makes a decision on possible criminal charges in connection to the death.

Millions of people around the world watched a bystander's video of an RCMP confrontation with Dziekanski, prompting a public outcry and more than a dozen investigations Canada-wide into the use of Tasers by police.

Dziekanski died shortly after being stunned

A security video released by the Vancouver International Airport shows Dziekanski had wandered the airport for six hours in a secure area controlled by the Canada Border Services Agency, unable to effectively communicate with anyone because he was Polish and spoke limited English.

At around 10:30 p.m. PT on Oct. 13, Dziekanski moved on and presented himself at the secondary customs check, where he was granted landed immigrant status at 12:30 a.m., according to the Vancouver Airport Authority's CEO.

Dziekanski had several interactions with various border services officers. Witnesses have told CBC News that Dziekanski appeared confused and agitated when they saw him at 1 a.m.

Police arrived shortly after that and have said they jolted him twice with a Taser, intended to incapacitate people with an electric shock.

Dziekanski died minutes later.

Kosteckyj said Cisowski firmly believes that if police hadn't used the Taser on her son that night, he would still be alive.

"Yet no one seems to acknowledge the Taser carries a danger with its use. She wants people to understand that you know when you shock somebody with 50,000 volts it doesn't matter whether it's lower amperage…it's a dangerous weapon."