METRO VANCOUVER -- More than five years after the Tasering death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver airport, the B.C. Coroner's Service has ruled the incident a homicide.

"Homicide is a death due to an injury intentionally inflicted by the action of another person," wrote Patrick Cullinane in his final report released Monday. It is a neutral term that does not imply fault or blame.

Cullinane concluded the Polish immigrant, who spoke no English, died of cardiac distress that occurred after being restrained and repeatedly Tasered by RCMP officers. He said an autopsy showed no natural diseases or injuries that would have led to Dziekanski's sudden death.

"The pathologist concluded that the most likely cause of death was cardiac death during restraint and noted that the mechanism in such cases is not well understood."

Cullinane noted his findings are consistent with those of the Braidwood Inquiry into Dziekanski's death at Vancouver airport on Oct. 14, 2007. Police were called when Dziekanski became agitated after spending nearly 10 hours at airport customs. Four officers responded to the call, Tasering and handcuffing Dziekanski within seconds of encountering him, the Braidwood Inquiry revealed. He soon began showing signs of medical distress and was declared dead at the airport a short time after paramedics arrived.

No criminal charges were laid in his death, but the four RCMP officers involved in the incident were charged with perjury. The first of the four trials — for Const. Bill Bentley — is set for June 3 in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. It's a jury trial expected to run for four weeks before B.C. Supreme Court Justice Mark McEwan.

The Braidwood Inquiry, completed in 2010, made multiple recommendations regarding police use of Tasers and civilian oversight of police actions.

Cullinane said many of the recommendations have since been put into place, including the formation of the Independent Investigations Office and the formation of a legislative committee last year to look into implementing changes to police training and use of Tasers.

Cullinane said Taser use by police dropped by 87 per cent between 2007 and 2011, falling to 85 incidents from 640 provincewide.

Other procedures have been put in place at Vancouver airport and with the Canada Border Services Agency to better monitor and assist non-English speaking immigrants.

"Given the extent of the review and the accompanying recommendations, which have largely been adopted by the relevant agencies, I make no further recommendations," Cullinane wrote.

Coroner's Service spokeswoman Barb McLintock said the coroner had to wait until all other inquiries and committees were concluded before issuing its report.

She said Cullinane's conclusions will likely be the "last word" on Dziekanski's cause of death.

jbarrett@vancouversun.com

Twitter.com/vancityjess