Taser inquiry will proceed without decision on charges

The second phase of a public inquiry into the death of a Polish immigrant will begin on Oct. 20 even though Crown prosecutors have not made a decision about whether charges will be laid in the incident at Vancouver's airport.

Commissioner Thomas Braidwood announced earlier this week that his inquiry into Robert Dziekanski's death after he was shot by a Taser stun gun will go ahead before a coroner's inquest is held. Inquiry spokesman Chris Freimond said Thursday that the coroner requested the public inquiry be held before an inquest.

"The second phase of the inquiry was being held back until the RCMP had completed its inquiry into the incident at the airport," Freimond said.

Freimond said Braidwood decided to push ahead with the second phase before he hears from the Crown whether charges will be laid.

"(Braidwood) will then make a decision as to whether or not he will continue with the second phase. It will depend on whether charges are laid and what those are," Freimond said.

The Lower Mainland's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team recently handed its charge-assessment report to the Crown without making a recommendation about whether charges should be laid against any of the four Mounties involved.

The first phase of inquiry, which began on May 5 and wrapped up on May 23, looked into general police use of the stun gun. Braidwood is expected to release recommendations from the first phase of his inquiry by November.

The second phase, which has the potential to find misconduct, will focus specifically on the events surrounding Dziekanski's death at Vancouver International Airport in October last year. He died shortly after RCMP officers stunned him with a Taser.

Dziekanski, who did not speak English, had been waiting for his mother at the airport for six hours. RCMP were summoned by airport security after an agitated Dziekanski smashed an airport computer and vandalized other airport property.

A bystander's videotape of the event was broadcast worldwide on TV and the internet, and set off a public outcry.

The death also launched several inquiries into Taser use by police, including an investigation by RCMP Public Complaints Commissioner Paul Kennedy and the Commons Public Safety Committee.

After the release of Kennedy's scathing report last month, the RCMP said it would restrict Taser use and give officers clearer direction on how and when to use the weapons.

No date has been set for the release of the findings from the second phase of Braidwood's inquiry.