Last month the Royal Canadian Mounted Police used a TASER to save the life of a man who was in the process of attempting to commit suicide as he walked down the street in Nanaimo. The man had slashed his wrists and was losing a lot of blood. Officers at the scene figured he would be successful or, at least, cause himself a lot of harm.

RCMP officers at the scene tried to reason with the man while he walked across the street toward the parking lot of a motel. While keeping a safe distance, the officer tried to negotiate with him, then called for backup. The man repeatedly stated that he wanted to die as he hacked at his wrists with a knife.

The man made his way up to the second story balcony of a motel where he stood long enough for pools of blood to form. At the point when he put the knife to his throat and turned to walk away, officers fired a TASER at him. Probes hit him in the back and thigh. While he was disabled, officers disarmed the man and handcuffed him.

Officials stated that the man suffered no injuries other than the ones he inflicted on himself and that he was plagued with cocaine addiction and financial difficulties.

The successful use of the TASER to save a life comes during a time of controversy over whether or not the RCMPs should be allowed to use TASERs in their law enforcement duties.