Four Calgary police officers will not face criminal charges following a nine-month investigation into the death of a 30-year-old man.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) investigated death of Gordon Bowe, who died on Nov. 2, 2008, one day after getting into an altercation with four officers.
Police confronted Bowe after observing him “running, jumping, waving his arms and screaming incomprehensible dialogue,” after he had broken into the basement of a vacant residence, explained ASIRT executive director Clifton Purvis.
After Bowe failed to respond to verbal commands, an officer attempted to use a Taser.
“It was not successful in making Mr. Bowe compliant in the arrest,” said Purvis, noting that one of the two Taser probes didn’t deploy properly. “No energy flowed through the device.”
The investigation also revealed that Bowe ingested cocaine 60 to 90 minutes prior to his admission to hospital.
“The tragedy of his death was as a result of excited delirium due to the ingestion of cocaine,” Purvis concluded.
Calgary acting deputy chief Trevor Daroux said the ASIRT investigation reinforces that the officers actions were justified.
