A public inquiry has begun hearing testimony about the death of a Polish immigrant who was zapped with a Taser stun gun at Vancouver International Airport.
Robert Dziekanski died October 14, 2007, after police zapped him with a Taser. Police said they used the Taser after he began acting erratically.
Dziekanski, who spoke only Polish, had apparently become upset after waiting for 10 hours at the airport for his mother, who was supposed to pick him up. His death brought international attention and intense criticism after video of the incident was released.
The first half of the inquiry, a study commission held last year, broadly examined Tasers and their use. A report from that inquiry is due out early this year.
The second phase will focus specifically on what happened to Dziekanski and look for recommendations that could prevent a similar incident in the future.
If the evidence merits, Judge Thomas Braidwood can report misconduct on the part of those involved.
None of Monday's witnesses saw Robert Dziekanski being Tasered by four officers.
Dziekanski, a construction worker who did not speak English, arrived in Vancouver that afternoon to live with his mother, Zofia Cisowski in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Ten hours later, visibly nervous after being unable to find his mother, Dziekanski began throwing furniture in the airport's international arrivals area. He apparently became upset when he did not see his mother in the secure baggage area - which she was not allowed to enter.
Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers arrived and within seconds hit him five times with a Taser. The confrontation was caught on video and broadcast around the world on television and the Internet.
The RCMP maintain Dziekanski was in a state of excited delirium and suffering from alcohol withdrawal. A coroner's report indicated signs of alcoholism.
Witnesses on Monday said Dziekanski was slightly agitated, attributing that to his emigrating. Vancouver airport greeter Patricia Hunter met Dziekanski went he arrived in Vancouver. She said he appeared disoriented but not intoxicated.
"He was an unusual passenger," she said. "He had an almost robot-like walk and approach."
She said a customs agent recognized the man could not understand English and supplied Polish translations of landing documents.
The most anticipated testimony is that of the four police officers. The inquiry was delayed while police awaited word on charges against the officers.
The province's attorney general announced last month the officers would not face charges and would testify.
Cisowski said on Monday she has been lied to repeatedly about her son's condition and the circumstances of his death
"I want to know the truth," she told reporters. "I think everyone tries to lie to save themselves. I have nothing to lose because I lost it."
Cisowski sat quietly in the hearing on Monday, occasionally wiping her eyes.
Her lawyer, Walter Kosteckyj, said Cisowski wants a full account of what happened and wants to see all agencies involved - including the RCMP, the border agency and Vancouver International Airport - take responsibility.
