Nova Scotia’s police watchdog is investigating the death of a 28-year-old man in the Halifax area who was jolted with a stun gun.
The Serious Incident Response Team says Halifax Regional Police were dispatched to a residence in Dartmouth to help a man who was
harming himself.
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The independent agency says officers entered the dwelling to ensure the man’s safety, but the man became “unco-operative.”
That’s when police used a conducted energy weapon to subdue the man, who was taken to a hospital and later died.
The Serious Incident Response Team has assumed responsibility for the investigation.
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Interim director Pat Curran says it’s not clear whether the police’s use of a Taser led to the man’s death.
“You can’t conclude from that, at this point, that there’s any reason to believe that the police have been the cause of (the man’s
death),” Curran said.
“Obviously, we don’t know that. But, this person was doing themselves very serious harm.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2020.