WINNIPEG (CBC) - A confrontation in a back lane in inner-city Winnipeg ended in the city's first Taser-related death Tuesday, police said.

A man, believed to be in his 20s, died in hospital after officers fired a stun gun at him Tuesday afternoon. The man was in critical condition when he was admitted to hospital and died shortly after.

Around 4 p.m., police were called to an address on Arlington Street, near the McPhillips Street and Notre Dame Avenue intersection. The confrontation took place in a laneway behind a house.

"An electronic control device was used on a male by one of our officers," said Winnipeg police Const. Jacqueline Chaput.

Larry Crisostomo, who lives near the area, told reporters he saw eight officers and a couple of paramedics working on a man on the ground.

"All I saw was a bunch of cop cars, ambulance, fire truck. They were all huddled around some guy trying to revive him, and they had to give him the paddles," said Crisostomo.

Other witnesses said they saw someone being chased down the lane just before police arrived, and some reported he was wielding a knife. Officers have not confirmed that.

Police said they didn't know how many times the man had been stunned by the weapon and released few details about the incident. An autopsy will be conducted, said Chaput.

Winnipeg police have been using Tasers since September 2006, but this is the first time there has been a death related to their use.

Police said they would release more information on the incident Wednesday afternoon.

Taser use recently reviewed

Last October's death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver airport after he received at least two stun-gun jolts triggered debate over police use of the electronic device.

Dziekanski's and other high-profile deaths in the past months have prompted a closer look at the weapons and restrictions in at least one province, Nova Scotia.

Winnipeg's protection and community services committee asked police earlier this year for a review of the force's policy on the use of the devices.

"Based on what we heard from our police chief, it seemed to us - and still does seem to us - that our people are adequately trained and our protocol for use is supportable and reasonable in the context of the Winnipeg theatre," committee chair Coun. Gord Steeves said Wednesday.

"Personally what I'm hoping is as the investigation of this incident goes through that it turns out that our people abided by all the protocols and that this was just an unfortunate incident."

A March report said the force had 150 Taser X26s in use. The model emits a 50,000-volt charge.

In early December 2007, police said they had deployed Tasers on individuals 95 times over the course of that year.

Safety research needed, rights campaigner says

The Winnipeg case is believed to be the 22nd fatality following the use of a Taser in Canada since 2003.

Amnesty International Canada has been calling for a moratorium on the devices until more independent safety studies can be done.

"The Taser does have a legitimate purpose, however, we're concerned that there hasn't been adequate study, " said Hilary Homes, a security and human rights campaigner for the group. "We really don't know enough about the effects to judge the acceptable risk and the acceptable parameters for use."

A handful of probes began after Dziekanski's death. A House of Commons public safety committee is studying the growing use of stun guns in Canada.

In June, the RCMP watchdog released a report recommending that members of the force with less than five years of operational experience should be prohibited from using stun guns and that anyone zapped should receive immediate medical attention.

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