Taser Not An Option In Montgrand Shooting: Officer

Taser Not An Option In Montgrand Shooting: Officer

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 15:33

 

 

Questions about why police officers didn’t use a taser instead of shooting a La Loche woman in a Prince Albert home two years ago are being raised at an inquest in Prince Albert.

 

Sgt. Eric Tiessen was one of the first police officers to arrive at the house where Jacqueline Montgrand was staying on March 18th, 2008.

 

The owner of the house wanted Montgrand to leave.

 

Tiessen told court he found the woman slightly intoxicated, but friendly.

 

He testified he told her she would have to leave the residence.

 

According to Tiessen, Montgrand told him she would go, but asked for a ride to a friend’s house.

 

Tiessen said he agreed to that, but Montgrand wanted to use the bathroom first.

 

By then, he said other police officers were on the scene.

 

Tiessen said Montgrand went into the kitchen to put her shoes on.

 

Shortly after that he said he heard another officer yell: “Knife! Drop the knife!”.

 

Standing in the entrance to the home, Tiessen said he watched as Montgrand charged at two of the officers with a knife.

 

Tiessen said he saw the two officers begin shuffling back rapidly while drawing their guns.

 

It was then Tiessen testified he reached for his taser that he had been trained to use.

 

However, he said it wasn’t there, as all of the tasers belonging to the rank and file members had been pulled by the Saskatchewan Police Commission for review.

 

Tiessen testified that with the taser gone, he then reached for his pepper spray.

 

He said that is when the shots went off that killed Jacqueline Montgrand.

 

However, Tiessen says if he had been in the same situation as the two other officers who were directly in the path of the woman, he also would have drawn his pistol.

 

He said the use of force model police use dictates that lethal force be used when confronted with a knife.