EDMONTON — The family of a man who died Wednesday after Edmonton police zapped him twice with a taser stun gun is in shock and questioning why the weapon was used.

“Our whole family is in shock,” said Melissa Bell, a relative of Trevor Grimolfson, who family and friends have identified as the dead man.

“You see a news report and you see that police have tasered your cousin. We are sad and very angry.”

Witnesses say a man entered a pawn shop Wednesday morning in a gritty section of Edmonton’s west end and began assaulting a man inside.

“It sounded like a tractor-trailer was going through the place,” said Michelle Furoy, who works at a liquor store across the street from the pawn shop.

“You could just hear it getting trashed.”

Mr. Furoy said when police went into the shop, she heard clicking sounds of what she thought was a taser, but the commotion didn’t stop.

A short time later, she saw a man being wheeled on a stretcher into an ambulance.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team was investigating to determine what happened and whether the police officers involved should face criminal charges.

“It was reported that a conducted energy device, or taser, was deployed at the scene on two occasions, and that the taser had no effect,” said Clifton Purvis, executive director of the team, an independent organization that probes fatal incidents involving police forces in Alberta.

“I do not know whether the taser made contact with the individual or not. The individual was eventually wrestled to the ground, handcuffed, was observed in medical distress. He lost consciousness, was transported to hospital, where he was declared dead,” he said.

Police did not identify the man, but estimated that he was between 35 and 40 years of age.

Mr. Purvis is also a Alberta Justice Crown prosecutor. The serious incident investigative team includes RCMP and officers from the Edmonton and Calgary police services.

“What we are concerned about is the actions of the two police officers, whether their interaction with the deceased caused his death. If it did cause the death, it is our responsibility to determine whether there is any criminal conduct.”

Ms. Bell said their extended family is badly shaken.

“We don’t understand why they still use tasers. They obviously kill people. They may not kill everybody that they use it on. But they kill lots.”

Ms. Bell said Mr. Grimolfson is originally from Selkirk, Man., and photos and tributes to him have been posted on a social networking website.

“In memory of Trevor Grimolfson. An amazing man whose life was cut short thanks to the Edmonton Police,” says the site.

Norma Strelkov, a volunteer at a nearby Mennonite thrift store, said she saw a man she recognized as someone who had been in the store before, but didn’t know his name.

“He was very agitated, waving his arms, talking and taking giant steps,” she said.

The man, tall and covered with tattoos, continued walking up and down the street – at one point breaking into a run, she said.

“He was a very pale, almost green colour and didn’t look like he was healthy at all,” she said.

Mr. Furoy said her first clue that something was wrong was a panicked phone call she received from a stranger.

The man, named Patrick, told her he had shown up at the tattoo shop, hoping to do some work there as a casual labourer.

“He said that when he walked into the tattoo shop, there was a guy just covered in sweat. It looked like he’d just gotten out of the shower and didn’t dry off. He looked like he was out of his mind,” Mr. Furoy said.

Patrick said he saw some white powder on a table inside the shop and thought perhaps the man was high on drugs, so he tried to leave the tattoo shop, but the other man locked the door and continued to hit him.

He told Mr. Furoy he escaped when his alleged attacker left the tattoo shop and continued his rampage at Dan’s Pawnshop next door.

About two dozen people have died in Canada after being hit with tasers, which can deliver a shock of up to 50,000 volts. The company points out the devices have never been directly blamed for a death.

Several reviews on the use of stun guns are under way across the country. There is also a public inquiry into the death of a Polish immigrant who died shortly after he was tasered by RCMP officers at Vancouver’s airport last year.

The inquiry into Robert Dziekanski’s death was to resume this month, but has been postponed to Jan. 19.

A report commissioned by the RCMP said national standards, more resources and better co-ordination are needed to ensure officers are properly trained to use tasers.

Mr. Purvis said once its investigation is complete, the team will announce whether the police involved will face charges. The team will also file a report to Alberta Justice, which may or may not be made public.

A fatality inquiry will also be eventually called into the man’s death.