Posted on 09/19/2007 8:44:43 AM PDT by Cagey
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- A Clay County woman's family said it's seeking justice after their loved one died shortly after being shocked 10 times with Taser guns during a confrontation with police.
The family of 56-year-old Emily Delafield said it would take the Green Cove Springs Police Department to court, according to a WJXT-TV report.
In April 2006, officers with the police department said they were called to a disturbance at a home in the 400 block of Harrison Street just before 5 p.m.
In a 911 call made to the Green Cove Springs, Delafield can be heard telling a dispatcher that she believed she was in danger:
Dispatcher: And what's the problem?
Delafield: My sister is waiting on my property.
Dispatcher: Your what?
Delafield: My sister (inaudible) is on my property trying to harm me.
Officers said they arrived to find Delafield in a wheelchair, armed with two knives and a hammer. Police said the woman was swinging the weapons at family members and police.
Within an hour of her call to 911, Delafield, a wheelchair-bound woman documented to have mental illness, was dead.
Family attorney Rick Alexander said Delafield's death could have been prevented and that there are four things that jump out at him about the case.
"One, she's in a wheelchair. Two, she's schizophrenic. Three, they're using a Taser on a person that's in a wheelchair, and then four is that they tasered her 10 times for a period of like two minutes," Alexander said.
According to a police report, one of the officers used her Taser gun nine times for a total of 160 seconds and the other officer discharged his Taser gun once for a total of no more than five seconds.
A medical examiner found Delafield died from hypertensive heart disease and cited the Taser gun shock as a contributing factor, the report said. On her death certificate, the medical examiner ruled Delafield's death a homicide.
The family said it plans to sue the Green Coves Springs Police Department now that it has all the reports regarding their loved one's death.
"We're going to try to compensate the estate and the family and try to get justice," Alexander said.
He said he believes the evidence weighs heavily in favor of Delafield's family and that justice will be served.
"I think that this evidence is going to show, along with some of the evidence we've collected outside of here, that there is no reason Emily Delafield should have died that day," Alexander said.
He said he plans to file a notice to sue sometime before the end of the year.
Many states and municipalities are now requiring that their police officers have a four year college degree and I’ve heard that there is training in dealing with situations like you experienced. I hope it becomes mandatory training for all LEO's.
OK. What is that supposed to do. I guess you like to live in an unruly environment. If that is your thing, go for it. No skin off my back. Shame you don’t care about crime in America. Well guess what you are the problem. Please do all of us conservatives and go back to moveon.com. You seem to share their outlook on America.
Cops kill wheelchair bound old lady with mental problems.
Did she drop the weapons? No she did not.
They could have just waited her out. Give her some space and time to calm down (yes, even if it was a couple of hours). If push came to shove, a thick blanket and a couple of strong men could have disarmed her.
Grabbing her arm while she was upset and armed would not be a good idea, nor would be tipping over her chair (although dang funny and what would have happened on Reno 911). But even those bad ideas would have been better than tasering her, much less tasering her 10 times.
“A medical examiner found Delafield died from hypertensive heart disease and cited the Taser gun shock as a contributing factor, the report said. On her death certificate, the medical examiner ruled Delafield’s death a homicide.”
Cut and dried. As DJ reminded us, it was the woman herself who called police. You would think, however, that if police said ‘drop the weapons’ she’d have done so after the first tasering.
And Police need to be professional enough not to "give it to them".
Heads and shoulders, knees and toes
You can say that about anybody, but I trust the police, military, and other folks who put themselves out there. I guess you don’t. No big deal. Opinions are fine.
I like that show, thats actually my favorite line from the program
I’d have tazered much faster.
He's also a dork.
"Uh, 45."
"Do you know what the speed limit here is?"
"Uh, 45. (Points to 45 MPH speed limit sign)"
"Sir, step out of the car!"
Was she chasing anyone? No she was not.
Why do you expect someone with mental illness issues to react the way a normal person would? The victim called police because she was having some kind of episode. Because of her mental issues, they had the right to tase her to death?! That is a sick attitude.
The police gave themselves a bad name. They killed an old lady in a wheelchair.
"She was not following what the police demanding"
Mental cases will often do that.
"I am sick and tired of arrogance of criminals. If the cop says stop...stop. If the cop says move...move. If the cop saids hands over your head, then put your f’ing hands over your head. What is so dang hard about it."
I'd say mental illness. In the cop's case, it was just because they were stupid cowards.
>>>In this case, the wheelchair bound women could have been easily disarmed.
The family couldn’t subdue her. She took up to 10 taser shots. By the looks of the photo, she’s a big mama, and according to records she was crazy and was swinging two knives. Is your concept of “easily disarmed” perhaps too “easily said” without having been there?
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