Robert Dziekanski was described as distraught, confused and tired -- but not threatening -- in the minutes before he was stunned by an RCMP Taser and died at
Limousine driver Lorne Meltzer told the Braidwood Inquiry Tuesday that he had a confrontation with Dziekanski when the Polish man blocked a security door at the airport.
Meltzer says he swore at Dziekanski to get out of the way because he was in a hurry to pick up a client at the International Reception Lounge.
"I got angry for several reasons. I couldn't get through," he told the inquiry.
After a tense moment he said Dziekanski appeared to calm down and Meltzer says did not feel threatened.
He says when the RCMP arrived and surrounded Dziekanski, he saw the Polish man raise something in his hand just before the Taser was fired and Dziekanski screamed.
Walter Kostecky, the Dziekanski family's lawyer, said the Pole would have been tired after so many hours waiting.
"Mr. Meltzer gets into an argument with him. Of course he gets set off. He's tired by that stage in the game," said Kostecky. "He's been travelling for more than 24 hours. He's frustrated to make himself understood. And that's where the problem lies."
Meltzer was one of several people who contacted police as Dziekanski continued barricading the doors. Considering what happened later, Meltzer regrets not doing more to help Dziekanski.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's
