A 36-year-old British Columbia man [Robert Knipstrom] has died in hospital more than four days after being subdued by RCMP officers with a Taser and nearly every other available weapon except firearms.

It’s good that the mounties were trying to avoid killing him, but this is more evidence that tasers are lethal, so what’s the point of having them?

November 25th, 2007

4 comments to New Taser case – Man Dies in B.C.

• sanjosemike

November 25th, 2007 at 3:26 pm

As a retired physician, I would like to make a point. Tasers, which are powerful enough to cause a generalized tonic-clonic seizure obviously have enough power to cause a cardiac dysrhthmia. The fact that the arrhythmias occur some hours after the taser event is probably irrelevant. The cardiac muscle fibers have already been damaged by the electrocution event. Some people are more susceptible to cardiac shock than others. However, it is inevitable that some deaths will occur with the use of this device, and in most cases it is the fault of that device. Statistically, this is a lethal weapon. Police officers should also never allow themselves to be tasered during “training” events and demonstrations.

sanjosemike

• Sceptic

November 25th, 2007 at 3:29 pm

Taser killed more than Chinese toys, yet Chinese toys get all the attention. When are they going to bring a class action against Taser Inc. for the death of their loved ones?

• dave butterfield

November 25th, 2007 at 3:47 pm

Tasers should be used with the same caution as they do their firearms; When they feel their life is in danger. Four propperly trained officers should have no problem handling one man without a taser. I live in a small city in Alberta and taser use by police officers is abused regularily in situations where it is has no reasoning just because they dont want to get their hands dirty. My best friend was tasered watching a fight outside a local pub, he dropped, yelped in pain and was tasered again. He missed a weeks work.

• Mike Hansen

November 30th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

http://www.thepigs.ca , P.I.G.S. is an acronym for police integrity guarantees sovereignty!
A ‘class action law suit’ is the only answer to this growing epidemic.

Mike Hansen
Sovereign Vanguard