Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
RCMP officer who fired Taser at Robert Dziekanski sues CBC for libel
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The RCMP officer who fired his Taser at Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver's airport the night the Polish immigrant died has filed a libel lawsuit against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
In a writ of summons filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Const. Kwesi Millington asks for damages from the CBC and claims the network's publications and broadcasts have defamed him.
Millington was one of four officers who confronted Dziekanski at the airport in October 2007, and he fired his Taser within seconds of arriving on the scene.
The incident gained worldwide attention after amateur video of the altercation was released, which appeared to contradict official accounts from the RCMP.
In the writ, which doesn't specify what the CBC published or broadcast that was defamatory, Millington says his reputation has been seriously injured, he has suffered embarrassment and distress, and has been brought into public ridicule.
The writ contains allegations that haven't been proven in court and the CBC could not immediately be reached for comment.
A public inquiry examining Dziekanski's death wrapped up last month.
