The Following is an portion of the article written by: Sarah Petz
By: Sarah Petz · CBC News
Posted: Jun 25, 2021
The family of a man who died after Winnipeg police used a Taser on him in August 2019 have launched a wrongful death lawsuit, saying police knew the man had a mental illness and was unarmed. Viengxay Chommany, 42, died on Aug. 4, 2019, after he was stunned and struck in the face and head multiple times by police officers in an early morning incident about two days earlier, according to both the lawsuit and a report by the Independent Investigation Unit, Manitoba's police watchdog.
Police were responding to a call about a domestic assault on Consol Avenue, in northeast Winnipeg. A statement of claim filed by Viengxay's wife, Ratsamy, says that her husband suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia but was never physically violent with her, including on the night of his death. About a week before Viengxay's death, Ratsamy had called 911 asking police to take her husband to the hospital for treatment because he wasn't taking his medications and was being verbally abusive, the lawsuit says.
An officer who responded to the call told Ratsamy that police could notforce Viengxay to go to the hospital against his will, but was able to deescalate the situation.
"By the end of the wellness check, Mr. Chommany and the police officer were singing together," the lawsuit says.
In the early hours of Aug. 2, 2019, Ratsamy had called 911 again because her husband wasn't taking his medication and was acting strangely, threatening to call Ratsamy's employer. Viengxay did not hit his wife on this night either, but did attempt to block the door when police knocked and may have grabbed Ratsamy's hand, the lawsuit says. One of the officers who was responding to the call kicked down the couple's door, and started yelling at Viengxay aggressively.
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