Man dead after being tasered, pepper sprayed, and beaten

This is from MSNBC

British Columbia - A Canadian man died Saturday, four days after police used a Taser stun-gun on him because he reportedly was acting erratically in a store, police said. He was the third person to die in recent weeks in Canada after being shocked by the hand-held weapon.

Robert Knipstrom, 36, died in a hospital after two officers used pepper spray, a Taser and their batons to subdue the British Columbia resident. Police earlier said Knipstrom was extremely agitated, aggressive and combative with the two officers who responded. He was conscious and speaking when he was taken to the hospital.

The cause of death has yet to be determined. Although a Taser was used against Knipstrom, it was not immediately clear what role, if any, it played in his death, said Inspector Brendan Fitzpatrick.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

Although several stories about tasering incidents have been posted on here since the Kerry incident, this is the only one ( other than the Kerry incident) that I have seen reported in the mainstream media. I think this is a very good example of the police taking it too far. There is no need to "subdue" someone by using your entire arsenal. They might as well have shot him too. These officers need to be relieved of their duty.


mod edit, apply external quote code

[edit on 25-11-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]

Here we go again.

What do the officers have to say for themselves? He was "acting erratically", but did he get combative to the officers? Did he try to grab their weapons, or fight back? They only reported the very basics of the story (as usual for the MSM).

It sounds like they stepped things up. Used the pepper spray and it didn't work, so they tazed the guy. Can't explain why they used batons on him after that, tho.

Wow, talk about overkill. Tasered, pepper-sprayed and beaten?? :shk:

More and more police are getting a little too taser-happy.


They definitely need to think about what they do to people before they [police] do anything extreme such as tasering and/or beating them.

This was the third death from tasering in Canada in the las few weeks.
A Nova Scotia man was also shocked to death.
www.suburbanchicagonews.com...

Here's the report on the Nova Scotia death
www.canada.com...

Hyde, diagnosed in the 1980s as a paranoid schizophrenic, .....

Hyde was off his medications when police Tasered him, she said. His death shocked her doubly because he was generally fit. "Physically, he was strong as an ox."

Blair said Hyde had been Tasered before, in 2005, when he refused medication and went into a psychotic state. She said that incident left him with a fear of the device.

Halifax Deputy Chief Tony Burbridge said Hyde was shocked once or twice after a "violent" struggle with two police officers and a booking officer at the Dartmouth jail.

"He went into medical distress, was taken to hospital where he was cleared and released to police and sent to jail yesterday (Wednesday)," he said. He died there about 30 hours after being Tasered.

It is troubling to me that all of these taser events seem to be against citizens and NOT what I would call the criminal element.


[edit on 25-11-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]

Originally posted by jerico65
...did he get combative to the officers?

This is explained in the article.

Police earlier said Knipstrom was extremely agitated, aggressive and combative with the two officers who responded. He was conscious and speaking when he was taken to the hospital.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

I am of the view that the taser has superceded the qualities one used to value in police officers--negotiation skills and the ability to physically restrain an unruly citizen.

It would seem to me that policy regarding taser use should be revisited and that tasers should only be used when there is a threat of lethal force against the officer or other citizens.

It seems to me that the taser is not a "non-lethal" weapon at all and should be considered as a "usually less than lethal" alternative to "potentially lethal" force.


[edit on 2007/11/26 by GradyPhilpott]