'WHY DID THEY HAVE TO KILL HIM?'

Father of Man Who Died After Being Tasered Speaks Out

The father of a Delhi man who died after being Tasered by police says
he wants to know why they had to kill him.

Noel Marreel said his son, Jeffrey, 36, was a constant heartache"
haunted by a drug addiction and in and out of jail, but never
difficult with police.

Why did they have to kill him?" asked Marreel. He's been arrested
before and he's just walked out with police. He never gave them trouble."

Police used a Taser while arresting Marreel in the hamlet of Fisher's
Glen, south of Simcoe, at Front Street and Fisher's Glen Road, at
about 10:30 a. m. Monday.

Marreel died two hours later and was pronounced dead at
hospital.

Because Marreel died in custody, the province's police watchdog, the
Special Investigations Unit (SIU), is investigating.

Marreel's father, 67, said he didn't know his son had been Tasered
until friends called after hearing it on a local radio station four
hours later.

What's going on?" Marreel asked. Are our police so poorly trained? If
Tasers are that dangerous what are they using them for? I know Jeffrey
was no angel -- far from it --but he never, to my knowledge, has ever
hurt anyone.

Why couldn't they just corner him and grab him?"

Marreel said his son had struggled with drug addiction for about 20
years and had served time in jail.

His son had recently broken off with a girlfriend and lost a job,
Marreel said.

He'd find work, get off drugs for five or six months, then something
would happen and the spiral would start again," said Marreel, who last
saw his son Saturday when he stopped by to change clothes.

Police said Marreel was transported to the Norfolk County provincial
police station after being hit with the stun gun, where he collapsed.

Officers performed first aid until paramedics arrived.

No Moratorium

Marreel was pronounced dead in hospital about two hours after the
initial incident.

In Toronto, Rick Bartolucci, minister of community safety and
correctional services, said the province won't call for a moratorium
on Taser use in wake of the incident.

Ontario has a very, very measured approach to the use of Tasers," said
Bartolucci, who added a provincial report on the use of the guns is
scheduled to be released in December.

Last week, the RCMP announced it would restrict Taser firings
following a report into what critics call usage creep."

Officers in the federal force will have a clearer direction on how and
when a Taser should be used, chairperson Paul Kennedy said at the time.

He also said all people stunned with Tasers should receive medical
attention, a point that is particularly relevant for at-risk
populations, such as people with mental-health issues, substance abuse
problems, health and homelessness challenges."

Twenty-one people have died in Canada after being shot with
Tasers.

Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski died in October after being
repeatedly zapped by RCMP officers at Vancouver International Airport.
A video of his final moments added to the debate about the use of Tasers.

Amnesty International Canada has repeatedly called for a temporary
moratorium on the guns, pending an independent study of its possible
risks.