B.C. man dies after Taser used during Calgary arrest

A man involved in a weekend stun gun incident in Calgary has died, a spokesperson for the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said Monday.

Gordon Walker Bowe, 30, was arrested after police were called to a vacant duplex in the 500 block of 42nd Street S.E. at about 8 p.m. Saturday following reports of a suspicious man in the neighbourhood and a break-in.

The provincial response team, which investigates any use of force by police that results in serious injury or death, has confirmed that a Taser was used during Bowe's arrest, which involved a "significant physical struggle."

Cliff Purvis, executive director, said he didn't know how many times the Taser was used.

"At this point, I am not in a position to say whether the Taser made contact with the body of the deceased or — if contact was made —  whether the instrument or the device was operating properly," he said.

Bowe, a resident of Castelgar, B.C., was taken to hospital in medical distress and died at about 5 p.m. Sunday.

Purvis said his investigators will determine if there was any "criminal wrongdoing" in Bowe's death.

Bowe had to be stopped, says police union

An autopsy will be done Tuesday, but John Dooks, president of the Calgary Police Association, said Bowe's death may not be linked to a Taser jolt.

Dooks said Bowe was in the backyard, dove into the home's basement window, then smashed himself against a wall.

"Regardless whether the Taser was deployed or whether it was effective or ineffective is not the point," said Dooks. "The situation is you have a violent offender in a residence. He has to be stopped."

Dooks said Bowe was acting irrationally, possibly due to substance abuse or medical reasons.

"No one wants to see this individual harmed. The person who is responsible, who is behind all this, is the person who gave him – or trafficked him –  the drugs."

Tom Allen, who lives next door to the duplex, said he heard some loud noises Saturday night, then what sounded like a barbecue being dragged from the house, which has been vacant for about a month.

He said he went outside shortly after hearing the noise.

"Didn't hear any yelling. I just heard somebody just trying to run in a panic and trying to get away from the police."

Alberta solicitor general defended Taser use

More than 20 people have died in Canada after being stunned by Tasers.

Alberta's solicitor general defended the use of stun guns by the province's police forces last week.

"I believe the Taser is a tool that's been used very effectively and in a lot of cases has prevented death," Fred Lindsay said on Oct. 30.

"These deaths that have occurred, whether it's because of excited delirium or the use of the Taser, I haven't seen a lot of evidence yet come forward that confirms at the end of the investigation that it was caused by the voltage that was put into the person's body by the Taser."

Lindsay said until there is conclusive evidence that stun guns are dangerous, police will be able to use them.

Lindsay's comments came one day after a man died after Edmonton police used a stun gun to subdue him while he was on a rampage in a west end pawn shop. Trevor Grimolfson, who was originally from Selkirk, Man., worked as a tattoo artist in Edmonton.