Report Following a Public Interest Investigation into a Chair-Initiated Complaint Respecting the Death in RCMP Custody of Mr. Robert Dziekanski
Appendix I – Actions of Mr. Dziekanski
The location at YVR where the incident took place is the point of egress from the secure international arrivals area to the public meeting area. Video coverage of the area is not all encompassing, but three YVR video cameras did record relevant details. Specifically, these cameras were numbered 24401, 22233, and 22244. I have reviewed the relevant video from these cameras.
Camera 24401 points down and covers the main area of international arrivals. At various times while he remained in the secure area of the international arrivals area, Mr. Dziekanski can be seen. Camera 22233 points from the public area of the airport and covers the doors exiting to the exterior of the airport. Two of the RCMP members who attended the complaint regarding Mr. Dziekanski entered the building through these doors. Camera 22244 points inside the airport toward the exit doors from the secure area of international arrivals to the public waiting area. This camera captures images including Mr. Dziekanski blocking the exit doors, his interaction with the limousine driver, Mr. Meltzer (see below), and the arrival of the police.
In addition, video footage was taken by a civilian witness, Mr. Paul Pritchard. Mr. Pritchard's video footage, which will be discussed in more detail below, is the footage of the incident that has been widely reported in the media.
The only YVR camera which captured any details of significance to the investigation is camera 22244. This camera looks east into the public waiting/greeting area near the international arrivals exit door.
As per the date and time stamp on the YVR video footage, on October 14, 2007 at approximately 24:53:32, Mr. Dziekanski, pushing a luggage cart with two suitcases and one smaller bag, exited the secure area and entered the public waiting/greeting area. He walked a short distance and sat in a chair in the public waiting area.
At approximately 24:57:39, he stood and pushed the luggage cart back toward the doors to the secure international arrivals area. Because of the distance from the camera and blockage from fixed objects in the frame of the picture, determining Mr. Dziekanski's exact movements during this time is not poassible. The doors between the secure and public areas open automatically for persons exiting the secure area, but cannot be opened from the public side without a pass card. Only authorized persons hold such cards; these include YVR and RCMP personnel as well as accredited persons, such as certain limousine drivers who have received clearance. Mr. Dziekanski began to bang on the doors as though he wanted someone to open them to allow him back into the secure area of the airport.
Witness accounts indicate that Mr. Dziekanski was throwing his luggage and attempted to regain entry to the secure side of the glass doors. During that time, Mr. Lorne Meltzer, a limousine driver who was at the airport to pick up passengers from another international flight, arrived and used his pass card to open the doors. Mr. Meltzer said in his statement that he told Mr. Dziekanski he would have to leave because another flight was due to arrive shortly.
Mr. Dziekanski, who did not speak any English and was visibly upset and shouting at no one in particular prior to the encounter with Mr. Meltzer, became even more agitated and the two began shouting at one another, although apparently neither could understand the other. At this point, the doors were open, and Mr. Dziekanski took a chair from the secure area and placed it between the doors to keep them from closing. He and Mr. Meltzer continued the verbal sparring, with Mr. Meltzer shouting that Mr. Dziekanski would have to move because he was blocking the exit doors. Mr. Dziekanski became more upset and more agitated.
One witness indicated that Mr. Dziekanski was sweating profusely at this time and stated that she perceived either an odour of alcohol or body odour emanating from Mr. Dziekanski. The witness stated that Mr. Dziekanski seemed lost. She said that she attempted to communicate with him in several different languages, none of which was Polish.
YVR surveillance camera 22244 which, as noted, was trained on the waiting area and includes the International Arrivals exit doors, shows that at approximately 01:25:45 on October 14, 2007, airport security entered the public area and observed Mr. Dziekanski's actions. Airport security personnel did not appear to interact with Mr. Dziekanski other than to observe him. Camera 22244 is located some distance from the site of the events. Although movement is visible, the grainy nature of the video coupled with the distance and objects blocking the view render the video inappropriate to determine the exact events which transpired.