Friends and family members of a Polish immigrant who died last fall after being Tasered by police at Vancouver International Airport held a memorial for him in Poland on Saturday.
They gathered in a church in the town of Pieszyce to remember Robert Dziekanski. Those in attendance had planned to bury an urn containing his remains at the family's grave in the town cemetary.
His mother, Zofia Cisowski, who lives in B.C., had gone to the town to attend the service.
Dziekanski died last October after being shocked with a Taser gun and subdued by four RCMP officers. He didn't speak English and had just arrived from Poland. The 42-year-old man had come to Canada as an immigrant and had planned to live with his aging mother.
His death created international headlines after a video of his confrontation with police was released to the public. It was also posted on the website YouTube. It showed Dziekanski throwing a chair at a glass wall. He was also shouting and appeared to be erratic, as passengers at the airport tried to calm him down.
By the time police arrived, the video showed that he had appeared to have calmed down. Officers Tasered Dziekanski twice and held him down, as he writhed in pain.
Several provincial and national probes were launched into Taser use across the country after the high-profile death.
Crown prosecutors in B.C. are also assessing a report by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team -- which includes officers from a variety of police agencies -- to see if charges will be laid against police officers involved in the Dziekanski case.
