Actually, this gadget sounds like one of the Goa'uld Staff Weapons from "Stargate SG-1." Maybe the technology was leaked out of Cheyenne Mountain........
Sounds like the Zat Gun.. 1st shot your are paralyzed, 2nd shot you are dead, 3rd shot you are vaporized...
To me, this sounds like a Taser minus the wires. There were some articles posted a few years ago about using a laser (UV I think) to create an ionized air path over a long distance. The ionized air path was then used to transmit electrical current to the target. I can think of a few other interesting applications for such a device that don't involve shooting it at humans.