It's been an emotional Monday morning for Robert Dziekanski's mother, after she tried to confront the officer who gave the order to pull the trigger on the Taser weapon that jolted her son multiple times.
RCMP Corp. Benjamin 'Monty' Robinson took the stand for the first time Monday as part of the inquiry into Dziekanski's death. But entering court after a morning break, Zofia Cisowski tried to get the officer's attention.
"Nice to meet you," she called out twice as the officer entered the courtroom.
Robinson didn't appear to acknowledge her greeting.
Cisowski was visibly shaken when speaking with reporters outside court moments later.
One reporter asked if she felt better after confronting the officer.
"No. Even worse," Cisowski said, her hands trembling, gripping a coffee cup.
"I wanted him to look at me," said Cisowski, a Polish immigrant who speaks English with a strong accent. "To see my face. My sorrow."
Cisowski has seen the three other officers involved in the Oct. 14, 2007 incident that left her son dead at Vancouver International Airport. But Cisowski said she was particularly interested to see the man who gave the order to fire a Taser weapon at Dziekanski.
"This officer gave orders to them to Taser my son," she said. "My heart is broken for that."
On the stand, Robinson has calmly given his version of the events that led to Dziekanski being jolted.
Officers were responding to a call of an "intoxicated" man throwing luggage in the arrivals area of YVR.
Robinson said the officers found Dziekanski standing by a secure door area. He said he saw a damaged computer monitor on the ground.
He saw Dziekanski reach for his luggage. The officer commanded him to stop and move away towards a nearby counter.
Dziekanski did so, but turned around, brandishing a stapler, the officer said.
Dziekanski raised his voice and took a step forward, he said.
That's when he ordered a subordinate to fire his Taser weapon.
That officer, Const. Kwesi Millington, previously testified he triggered his Taser gun unprompted.
Robinson said he recalled the Taser gun being fired "a couple times."
In fact, the inquiry has heard Dziekanski may have been hit five times with a Taser weapon.
Robinson's testimony continues.
Irwin Loy reports for 24 Hours Vancouver and appears regularly on The Hook.
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RickW
3 years ago
Not trained.........
I think Robinson said today (23 March) that his training wasn't up to date in taser use -- which relates to my assertion all along that RCMP training has been going downhill because the politicos do not want to provide the funding, not only to modernize the force in light of the great increase in drug traffic and internecine gang warfare, but in providing psychological testing to see if candidates should in fact become police officers.
Rod Smelser
3 years ago
Robinson's drunk driving
Robinson was accused by Delta police of driving drunk, with his own children in the car at the time, when he struck and killed a motorcyclist.
Has the BC Crown Counsel's office finished its deliberations on whether or not to proceed with charges against Robinson?
Has the drunk driving causing death episode been refered to in examining or cross-examining Robinson at the Braidwood inquiry?