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| "A bad day at the range..." |
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| 200th Taser-related death recorded |
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| At least 22 dead at the hands of BC police in last four years |
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Written Statement from Chief Constable Jamie H. Graham
2006-07-26
The following written statement was issued by Chief Constable Jamie H. Graham this morning:
Questions were raised in the media today about an exchange between myself and City Manager Judy Rogers.
Only because it has been raised in the media I feel it is important to let the public know what happened.
On June 30th, I placed one of my old shooting targets from the range on Ms. Rogers desk with a note saying “A bad day at the range is better than the best day at work.”
This saying is similar to the “I’d rather be fishing” bumper sticker.
When I later learned that this gesture had caused some concern, I apologized to Ms. Rogers verbally and in writing.
The original gesture was made with only the most positive of intentions and I regret any confusion it may have caused.
Jamie H. Graham
Chief Constable
......
Go figure...
A Wisconsin man has become the 200th person to die after being "Tasered" by law enforcement officials.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported that Nickolos Cyrus, 29, was shot with a Taser gun on Sunday "when he failed to comply with officers' commands". After two 50,000 volt shocks, he stopped breathing and was subsequently pronounced dead. Cyrus' death is the third in as many days, and the 33rd this year alone. 69 North Americans died in 2005 after being shot by Tasers.
The list of 2006 Taser-related deaths:
January 3, 2006: Roberto Gonzalez, 34, Waukegan, Illinois
January 13, 2006: Daryl Dwayne Kelley, 29, Houston, Texas
January 22, 2006: Nick Ryan Hanson, 24, Ashland, Oregon
January 25, 2006: Murray Bush, Metairie, Louisiana
January 27, 2006: Jorge Luis Trujillo, San Jose, California
January 28, 2006: Karl W. Marshall, 32, Kansas City, Missouri
January 31, 2006: Jaime Coronel, Castroville, California
February 13, 2006: Darval Smith, New Orleans, Louisiana
February 19, 2006: Gary Bartley, 36, Mandeville, Louisiana
February 24, 2006: Samuel Hair, 48, Fort Pierce, Florida
March 4, 2006: Melvin Anthony Jordan, 27, Norman, Oklahoma
March 8, 2006: Robert R. Hamilton, 42, St. Augustine, Florida
March 18, 2006: Otto Zehm, 35, Spokane, Washington
March 20, 2006: Timothy Grant, 46, Portland, Oregon
March 24, 2006: Theodore Rosenberry, 35, Hagerstown, Maryland
April 5, 2006: Thomas Clint Tipton, 34, Clearwater, Florida
April 15, 2006: Nick Mamino Jr., 41, St. Louis, Missouri
April 16, 2006: Billy Ray Cook, 39, Dublin, North Carolina
April 16, 2006: Juan Manuel Nunez III, 27, Lubbock, Texas
April 21, 2006: Alvin Itula, 35, Salt Lake City, Utah
April 24, 2006: Jose Romero, 23, Dallas, Texas
April 24, 2006: Emily Marie Delafield, 56, Green Cove Springs, Florida
May 1, 2006: Jeremy Davis, 24, Bellmead, Texas
May 7, 2006: Kenneth Cleveland, 63, Ashtabula, Ohio
May 25, 2006: Brian Davis, 43, Los Angeles, California
June 4, 2006: Felipe Herrera, 48, Las Vegas, Nevada
June 13, 2006: Jerry Preyer, 43, Pensacola, Florida
June 18, 2006: Jason Troy Dockery, 31, Coolville, Tennessee
June 21, 2006: Kenneth Eagleton, 43, Crosby, Texas
June 21, 2006: Joseph Stockdale, 26, Indianapolis, Indiana
July 7, 2006: Michael Deon Babers, 26, Shreveport, Louisiana
July 8, 2006: Christopher Tull, 36, Cincinnati, Ohio
July 9, 2006: Nickolos Cyrus, 29, Mukwonago, Wisconsin
What do Kevin St. Arnaud, Kyle Tait and Ian Bush have in common? All three unfortunate youths were unarmed when they were shot and killed by British Columbia police officers. Each fatality was investigated by the police themselves. No charges have been laid. Although a coroner's inquest is mandatory whenever someone in B.C. dies while detained by or in the custody of a peace officer, no inquest has yet been held in any of these cases.
This is unacceptable.
.................
The following list of people who have died while in police detention or custody in B.C. since May of 2002 has been gleaned from media accounts. Many of the media accounts are based on information provided by police. This list does not include deaths occurring in jail from natural causes or suicide. It may not be exhaustive, as some incidents may not have been reported in the press or may otherwise have escaped our attention.
1. Benny Matson; May 2002, Vancouver
Matson knocked over a motorcycle, was pursued and kicked in the head by one or more VPD officers. A coroners inquest was held and an OPCC complaint was dismissed.
2. John MacKay; July 2002, Vancouver
Mackay died in the Vancouver Jail of “blunt trauma injuries suffered from falling over and striking his head.”
3. Christopher Eklund; August 2002, Vancouver
Eklund “died accidentally after a struggle with Vancouver police” when his “heart stopped as a result of neck compression”.
4. Tom Stevenson; December 2002, Vancouver
Stevenson was sitting in a stolen vehicle the VPD had disabled. Two VPD members approached the vehicle. After Stevenson ignored their commands to get out, the police fired six shots into the vehicle, killing Stevenson instantly. At the coroner’s inquest, police stated that Stevenson had reached for a plastic gun. The plastic gun was photographed lying outside the vehicle near the left rear wheel. An inquest determined the death to be a homicide and the jury’s recommendations included a recommendation that the police not be allowed to investigate themselves. A civil suit is pending.
5. Lorraine Moon; February 2003, Cormorant Island
Moon was “brandishing a knife” when she was shot by an RCMP officer.
6. Terrence Hanna; April 2003, Burnaby
Hanna died after the RCMP shot him with a Taser, a “non-lethal” weapon that emits 50,000 volts of electricity and is designed to inflict excruciating pain and temporarily incapacitate the subject. (188 North Americans have died after being Tasered by police. No independent safety testing of Tasers has yet been done in Canada).
7. Keyvan Tabesh; July 2003, Port Moody
Tabesh was shot by plainsclothes Port Moody police after he had smashed a car window with a machete. An inquest was held.
8. Clay Willey; July 2003, Prince George
Willey died after Prince George RCMP repeatedly shot him with a Taser.
9. Joe Pagnotta; February 2004, Victoria
Pagnotta was shot by Victoria police after he “came at officers with a knife”.
10. Roman Andreichikov; May 2004, Vancouver
Andreichikov, unarmed, died after he was Tasered by VPD.
11. Robert Bagnell; June 2004 Vancouver
Bagnell, unarmed, was lying on his bathroom floor in medical distress when several VPD officers repeatedly shot him with a Taser.
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