Taser kills another person

[stevesboo23]

It marked the fifth time someone in Canada has died after being hit by a Taser. Amnesty International said proof has mounted at an alarming rate over the past year that the weapon should banned until more tests are done to determine how safe it is.


"Most of the testing that's been done by Taser International has been on police officers or people in the military, people in good health," said Hilary Homes, a campaigner for Amnesty International in Ottawa.


"When using it on someone in a weakened state, especially someone with heart problems, this is where we start to be concerned."


In intense police situations, she said it's often hard to assess people who might be threatening to the public or themselves. Drug use and medical conditions may or may not be obvious.


Amnesty suggests regulations could be developed for using the gun, which fires an electrical current through two barbs for about five seconds. The goal is to completely immobilize the victim, shocking their muscles to the point that it causes them to fall down.


About 50 people have died after being shot with Tasers in North America, most in the U.S. It is not approved for use in Britain and only recently have some Canadian police forces started issuing them to officers.


Vancouver police waited a month before confirming one of its Tasers hit Robert Bagnell a month ago.


Chief Jamie Graham denied the force was trying to cover it up.


"I give you my word we waited for the toxicology so we could give a fair and balanced account of this incident," he said Friday.


Police said the 54 year-old man, who was high on cocaine and other drugs, died after police stunned him with a Taser in a downtown hotel room.


The cause of death hasn't been determined. Const. Sarah Bloor said police are still awaiting a full pathology report.


It was the second death during arrests involving Tasers in the city in the last two months.


Another man died in May.


There have been recent deaths in Brampton, Ont., Richmond, B.C., and Burnaby, B.C.


Members of the Schizophrenia Society have weighed in on the issue, supporting the use of Tasers which they see as non-lethal weapons that safely immobilize people who could pose a danger to themselves.