The fact that 16 people in Canada have died after being subdued by a Taser means red flags should be raised over the use of the devices by police, according to one safety expert.
The RCMP has confirmed that an out-of-control man died early Sunday morning after they used a Taser to subdue him at the Vancouver International Airport.
Canada Safety Council past president Emile Therien said he couldn't comment on the specific case since he wasn't an eyewitness to the event, but he said greater caution is necessary when it comes to Tasers.
"When you consider since the year 2003, 16 people who have been Tasered have died, the red flag goes up and I think we should be concerned," Therien told CTV's Canada AM on Monday.
"One of the problems is we've got to develop our own standards in this country for safety efficacy and that's long overdue and about time we moved in that direction."
Police were called to the international arrival area of the airport at about 1:28 a.m. PT on Sunday after airport security officers were unable to calm the man down and his level of violence was escalating.
The man, a Caucasian in his late 30s to early 40s, was yelling in an eastern European accent, sweating profusely, throwing chairs and pounding on windows, according to police.
When the man picked up an object from a counter, a trained officer pulled a conducted energy weapon -- commonly known as a Taser -- from his holster and deployed it.
The man died a short time later after emergency service workers arrived on the scene.
The RCMP has said it does not believe the man's death was related to the Taser.
"In any death that is related in any way, shape or form to the actions of an RCMP officer, we have the integrated homicide investigations unit," RCMP Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre told CTV.ca, referring to the service's civilian oversight body.
"Their job is to establish every single thing that happened prior to that man's passing away."
Therien said there appears to be risk attached to the use of the Taser -- which fires two barbs attached to a wire that deliver a 50,000-volt shock on contact for up to five seconds -- but compared to the alternatives, it may be the best option, he said.
"When you look at the alternatives, lethal fire, the Taser is the more favourable way to take people down who are violent or in other states, there's no question about it," Therien said.
"But on the other hand, we've got to make sure that these weapons -- they've been called weapons -- are used only by front-line officers who have heavily trained in firearms use, and I think that's absolutely critical."
The coroner's office will conduct an autopsy on Monday.
The Mounties, who are working closely with Interpol, have the man's passport, but are not releasing the name as they first have to notify his family as well as determine whether the document is legitimate.
Lemaitre encourages anyone who was on the flight and has not yet spoken to police to contact the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Tipline at 1-877-543-9217 with any information they can provide.
