Winnipeg has joined a growing list of Canadian communities where a confrontation involving a police Taser has ended in death.

A Winnipeg family lost their 17-year-son, Michael Langan Tuesday. He's the first Winnipegger to die after being tasered, the 22nd in Canada since 2003.

Winnipeg police started using Tasers in September 2006. The guns emit a shock of about 50,000 volts.

The Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties would like to see a moratorium on the use of Tasers until more testing can be done on the device.

But the head of the city's protection committee says he sees no reason.

"As of right now I have no indication that any policy needs to be changed and that any policy wasn't followed or that any of our people made any mistakes," councillor Gord Steeves told CTV News.

Police spokesperson Jacqueline Chaput agrees.

"It was our executive members' decision to continue with the use of electronic control devices despite some of the controversy that we've seen all over the country," she said.

Chaput said there is still no evidence that the taser's jolt directly contributed to the teen's death.

"The cause of death is yet to be determined by the investigation and by the autopsy," she said. "So at this point it's too early to tell if the cause of death had anything at all to do with the electronic control device."

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Winnipeg Taser use in 2007:

  • Total uses - 173
  • Probe deployment - 55 (dart fired from stun gun)
  • Drive stun - 48 (used as a cattle prod)
  • Coercion - 70 (pulled from holster but not fired)

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Amnesty International Canada renewed a call for a temporary Taser moratorium last month after a man in Norfolk, Ont., died in custody after being shocked by police.

The human rights group said an independent review of possible risks is needed.

Calls for bans on the devices have also followed several high-profile deaths.

A public inquiry is scheduled for this fall into the death of a Polish immigrant who died shortly after being Tasered by RCMP officers at Vancouver's airport last year.

Robert Dziekanski had been waiting at the airport for several hours for his mother, and RCMP were called after he became agitated. A video taken by a bystander set off a public outcry and resulted in several inquiries into Taser use by police.

The national police force pledged to restrict Taser use and give officers clearer direction on how and when to use the weapons following a scathing report by RCMP Public Complaints Commissioner Paul Kennedy.

Earlier this month, Nova Scotia's government issued new restrictions aimed at ensuring stun guns are used appropriately. An earlier study done for the province found officers had become increasingly reliant on the devices.

With files from the Canadian Press