Widow says RCMP husband's "rage in the head" after Dziekanski incident

When Robert Dziekanski died at the Vancouver International Airport in 2007 after an altercation with RCMP officers, the sergeant responsible for communicating what turned out to be a false version of these events later pleaded to rectify the minutes. by suicide.

During the three hours that followed Monday, Sheila Lemaitre told the investigation that some of the information provided to her husband, RCMP Sergeant Pierre Lemaitre, had been informed that the media was wrong, but that he had been enjoined not to correct them. As a result, he was accused of being "the liar of the RCMP" and "the doctor of the RCMP". He was then transferred to the Traffic Division, which is considered a transfer of punishment, she said.

The situation exacerbated the depression with which he had been living for some time, his wife said.

Sgt. Lemaitre committed suicide on July 29, 2013. He was 55 years old.

Ms. Lemaitre said the police had described her husband as a "rotten apple" and had used it as a scapegoat while in fact, he had been keen to correct misinformation.

At one point, he almost shouted, "I want to correct him, I want to tell them," and he was not allowed, "she said. "He was ordered not to do it."

His pride lost in his work, his personality changed and he became physically violent, sometimes pushing his wife to the ground and suffocating her.

"He could not explain why he was so angry," Lemaitre said, "but he knew that there was a rage in his head that was burning his head – and he could not control it. "

In the days leading up to her death, Mrs. Lemaitre stated that he had done several errands for which she had "harbaded" him. He bought extra bags of dog food, bought a few wheelbarrows of fertilizer from a neighbor and filled several large water jugs.

She initially thought it was an indication that he was feeling better, but acknowledged in hindsight that he was preparing to commit suicide.

"He was just making sure everything would be fine for me," she said.

The coroner's inquest must last several days. The jury will hear the testimony of witnesses and may then make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths in similar circumstances.

Mrs. Lemaitre told the Deputy Coroner, Vincent Stancato and a five member jury, that her husband was proud to be a policeman and had a reputation for making an extra effort to help others. This changed after the incident at the airport.

Mr. Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant who did not speak English, had come to Canada to live with his mother, but had been lost and had wandered in the airport for 10 hours. He finally started throwing furniture in the arrivals area and was stunned by a Taser gun a few seconds after the police arrived. He died on the floor of the airport.

Sgt. Lemaitre first stated that Mr. Dziekanski had been stunned by a Taser twice, whereas in fact he had been stunned five times. The initial report also indicated that the police had used the stun gun only to "immobilize the abusive man," but a spectator video challenged this report.

The four gendarmes who responded to the incident were charged with perjury. Two were sentenced and two were acquitted.

In 2015, Ms. Lemaitre brought a lawsuit against the Attorney General of Canada and the Attorney General. Minister of Justice for the actions of the Mounted Police; it was settled in July by mediation. His lawyer said he could not comment on the settlement.

Dziekanski family lawyer Walter Kosteckyj attended Monday's proceedings to show his support for Ms Lemaitre. He recalled recalling the Sgt. Lemaitre during the investigation into the death of Mr. Dziekanski, as well as a brief conversation that they had in private subsequently.

"I walked away thinking that it was a very honest man placed in a very difficult position and unable to erase everything when he wanted to," said Mr. Kosteckyj to reporters. "He asked me to apologize to my client, Zofia Cisowski. [Mr. Dziekanski’s mother], so that she knows that he himself did not take any part in the deception of the public or the media about the events.

He added that the sergeant seemed "very, very concerned about not being able to tell the truth, that he felt like he had been suspended from nothing."