What the four officers at the Vancouver International Airport perceived Oct. 14, 2007 is just as important as any video evidence, a lawyer told the Braidwood inquiry yesterday.
David Butcher, representing Const. Bill Bentley, told commissioner Thomas Braidwood to "ignore calls of making an armchair quarterback assessment" and put himself in the officers' shoes.
According to Butcher, all the evidence points to Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski being in an agitated or delirious state and the officers knew heading to the scene that he had broken furniture at the airport.
Given the circumstances, Butcher said it's difficult to blame the officers for their actions that night.
"The police don't have to be right," Butcher said. "But if their belief was reasonable, no misconduct can be found against them."
Butcher also refuted the idea that witness Paul Pritchard's video of the incident - viewed by millions around the world through YouTube - makes Braidwood an eyewitness.
Butcher argued the video offers a "shaky" and "out-of-focus" view from afar that doesn't show all of Dziekanski's facial expressions and gestures.
"There were several witnesses who had a better view of the events, including the officers," he said.
Closing submissions continue this week.
