Manitoba man pepper-sprayed by RCMP dies

[Praxius]

Manitoba man pepper-sprayed by RCMP dies

An investigation is underway following the death of a 43-year-old man who was pepper-sprayed by RCMP in The Pas, Man.

The man died Saturday afternoon, a day after officers had removed him from his ex-wife's home in The Pas, about 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Police were called to the home Friday morning when the man was allegedly intoxicated and had become violent.

Officers managed to arrest him, but police say he became combative.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Line Karpish said there was a struggle, and police used pepper spray against him.

Karpish said officers then noticed the man was in medical distress and took him to the hospital, where he died on Saturday. An autopsy was to be conducted Monday in Winnipeg.

Karpish says police are treating the incident as an "in custody" death.

"As a matter of course because he was under arrest, despite the fact that he was not in our facilities, it is considered by the RCMP as an in-custody death and as such will be investigated accordingly."

Karpish said the officers involved in the arrest have been put on leave during the investigation.

"They were sent home, and we will have to let the investigation take its due course and see what the autopsy reveals."

In October, a Regina man suffered a fatal heart attack after police used pepper spray on him during a struggle. Two other men died in Regina under similar circumstances in 2001.

So no more tasers and no more pepper spray.... police will just have to ask nicely now

 

[missile]

Better still to let all the criminals do whatever they want to..Heaven forbid that one of them might be injured or insulted by a nasty cop.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

I'm curious how combative a guy can be after he's been arrested (I'm assuming behind the back cuffs).

 

[DurkaDurka]

The cops are all too reliant on their "toys" today, gone are the days when cops were actually "tough".

 

[missile]

I used pepper spray on dogs many times when I delivered the mail and none of them died or even became sick, so I'm guessing the citizen deaths are from some allergic reaction to the chemicals in the spray. Cops have the most thankless job in the world.

 

[DurkaDurka]

Missile, cops choose this profession... if they don't get enough satisfaction out of it, time to find a new career.

 

[missile]

I wouldn't want to be one. Having all those nice gadgets to lug around, but be unable to use them. What's the point of carrying weapons if you can't use them? The 64 thousand starting salary here for a cop is enough of an enducement to become one if money is all that matters tho.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

I used pepper spray on dogs many times when I delivered the mail and none of them died or even became sick, so I'm guessing the citizen deaths are from some allergic reaction to the chemicals in the spray. Cops have the most thankless job in the world.

I disagree. Police officers have plenty of opportunity to do good and be rewarded with thanks and praise. The problem is with anything, some bad apples ruin it for everyone. All too often we read about (and see) officers abusing their power, or see idiot officers turning on their lights when there is no emergency. Being a police officer doesn't give one blanket authority to be a douche bag.

I thank police officers that I see when I go to Flames games, or see in public. But I question whether or not it is necessary to pepper spray an individual already hindered by cuffs, etc.

 

[Ron in Regina]

I used pepper spray on dogs many times when I delivered the mail and none of them died or even became sick, so I'm guessing the citizen deaths are from some allergic reaction to the chemicals in the spray. Cops have the most thankless job in the world.

Missile, when you used pepper spray on dogs while delivering the mail, did you use it multiple-multiple
times on the same dog within minutes, and then pile on top of the dog with several other postal carriers?
That might be part of the difference....

Dogs, like people, can and do have allergic reactions. Either WAY more people than dogs are being hit
with pepper spray, or the allergy thing isn't the issue. I have a dog (about 155lbs and very territorial) with
whom all it would take to subdue him would be to throw him a couple of pounds of turkey and wait the
15 minutes or so for it to go into convulsions.

Many people have died after pepper spray is used on them. In your years as a postal carrier, have you
ever heard of a dog dieing from an allergic reaction to pepper spray? I ask 'cuz I'm curious to know what
the answer to that question would be.

 

[karrie]

take all weapons and 'fight' out of the situation, and you will still have some people who will die when taken in by the police. The entire circumstance, what caused police response and the arrest, creates a ticking time bomb, and is going to cause stress related death in a handful of individuals. And given the nature of the media, they will be highlighted and spread across the internet as proof that cops are dangerous and awful and abusing their power by doing what we pay them to do.