Retired justice Thomas Braidwood told the mother of Robert Dziekanski yesterday that he hopes an inquiry into her son’s death will help her find closure and peace.
Dziekanski died Oct. 14, 2007, after he was Tasered by RCMP at Vancouver International Airport. The incident was captured on video and garnered worldwide attention.
“As a parent, I can imagine nothing more terrible than losing a son or a daughter,” Braidwood said to Zofia Cisowski yesterday at the start of the second phase of inquiry into her son’s death.
The second phase, which runs until the end of February, aims to give Dziekanski’s family, and the public, a complete record of the events that led to the 40-year-old’s death. Braidwood said the proceedings are “not a trial.”
A report will follow, complete with any recommendations by the retired appeal court judge.
Braidwood’s report on the first phase – looking at the use of Tasers by police and correction officers – is nearing completion and will be presented to Attorney General Wally Opal in the “very near future.”
The second phase will hear evidence of Dziekanski’s trip from Poland to Vancouver, via Frankfurt, and his time at YVR up until his death. It will also look at the RCMP’s actions, the medical response and the subsequent police investigation.
