Officers in Dziekanski death not early ‘suspects’

VANcOuVer • /one of the four rcMP officers involved in robert dziekanski’s death was considered a potential suspect by the homicide investigators who were brought in to review the in-custody death, the perjury trial for one of the Mounties heard Tuesday.

The officers were told the incident likely wasn’t “going to be a big deal” and weren’t given a standard warning that their statements could become evidence before they were interviewed, the court heard.

const. Bill Bentley is accused of lying six times during a public inquiry into what happened when Mr. dziekanski was stunned by a Taser and died in October 2007.

Sgt. derek Brassington, a member of the rcMP-led integrated homicide unit that responded, testified about his involvement in the case and the circumstances of the officers’ statements, taken several hours after Mr. dziekanski’s fatal confrontation with police at Vancouver’s airport.

Sgt. Brassington said a team of nine homicide investigators went there after word a man had died in police custody.

Hours earlier, const. Bentley and three other officers arrived at the airport in response to 911 calls about an erratic man throwing furniture. Within seconds of showing up, one of the officers stunned Mr. dziekanski multiple times with a Taser, and the Polish immigrant died on the airport floor shortly after.

Sgt. Brassington told the court his unit requested that const. Bentley and two of the other officers involved in Mr. dziekanski’s death — const. kwesi Millington and const. Gerry rundell — return to the rcMP’s airport detachment. The fourth officer, Benjamin (Monty) robinson, who has since left the force, stayed at the airport.

Sgt. Brassington and several other investigators later headed to the detachment to take statements from the officers, and Mr. robinson accompanied them.

“did you have discussions with [the other investigators] about whether any of the officers were suspects?” asked crown counsel Scott Fenton.

“I have a vague recollection of meeting with them at the airport and discussing the game plan and that none of them were considered suspects.”