Posted on 07/20/2008 1:16:07 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Officer Suspended For 5 Days
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A teenager died after being hit with a police Taser gun for 37 seconds, and the whole thing was caught on tape by surveillance cameras.
Authorities said that Darryl Turner had been in a confrontation with a supervisor at work at a North Carolina grocery store.
When Officer Jerry Dawson arrived, he fired his Taser gun at the 17-year-old and struck him in the sternum.
"The initial use of the (Taser gun) is not in question," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Chief Ken Miller.
However, for 37 seconds, Dawson continued to use the Taser gun against the teen.
An autopsy revealed that Darryl Turner died of a heart attack, authorities said.
NBC Charlotte affiliate WCNC reported that Dawson was given a five-day suspension for firing the Taser gun too long.
"I wouldn't want to be (hit with a Taser gun) for 37 seconds, I can assure you of that," said Joe Kuhns, a professor of criminal justice at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. "It's a lengthy period of time."
Kuhns said he does support the use of the guns, however. "For the most part, their use has been effective. It has reduced officer injuries. It has reduced suspect injuries."
But a recently released National Institute of Justice study indicated that since 1987, there have been 300 deaths from the devices, also called conducted energy devices.
"There may be circumstances in which repeated or continuous exposure is required, but law enforcement should be aware that the associated risks are unknown," the study said. "Therefore, caution is urged in using multiple activations of (Taser guns) as a means to accomplish subdual."
Turner's family said they believe he didn't have to die.
"The officer was not confronted with circumstances that required the use of that type of force," said family attorney Ken Harris.
Dawson won't face criminal charges in the case, but Turner's family is considering a lawsuit, WCNC reported.
So this cop kills a 17 year old kid and gets a 5 day suspension. I’ll bet he learned his lesson.
Damm tazers need to be outlawed
Musta been doin one of those Die-Hard battery tests to check battery longevity.
The suspect was acting belligerently and threatened the store manager. The cop tasered the suspect, but didn’t think the taser was working since the suspect didn’t respond at all.
The officer was found to have only been in error by holding the trigger on the taser for too long. The death was an accident.
It’s been big news here.
So you’d rather have the cops pull their guns?
I’m so glad cops are held to a higher standard of conduct than citizens.
I didn’t see any toxicology report. Wonder if he was hopped up.....
However, if you taser me, my life is in danger and I'll defend myself with the amount of force necessary to stop the threat beyond all certainty. Read into that what you will. I'll be going home that night, or die trying.
Aren’t these guys trained? Wow, the kid’s family will get a big pay day.
The cop should be fired. He can get a job at a 7/11.
Yes.
Fine an accident, then the charge should be manslaughter
A continuous electrical current across the heart causes problems? Hooda thunkit?
The cop wasn’t in the wrong. The video has been edited and doesn’t show the way the suspect was acting. He was confrontational and throwing things off the counter in front of several customers, one of who had a child a few feet from the suspect when he walked in and started yelling.
You CAN see the point at which the suspect gets tasered in the video at the link, and plainly see that there is no reaction by the suspect at all. The cop’s assertion that he didn’t think the taser was working is valid.
Always be suspicious of the news media. I’ve heard much more about this case since I live here in Charlotte, and I can tell you that for a DC station to pick up this story and cut out the part of the video where the suspect is clearly threatening is a blatant smear job on the officer.
There should only be a charge of failing to follow the proper procedure.
For a “conservative” message board, I’m surprised at how many are assuming that the news media is giving you the straight story here. Especially when the first red flag that should go up is that the story follows the “cops are evil bullies” line.
I would have to learn more about how the people are trained for taser. Is it “okay” to hit someone for 37 seconds with all that voltage? Especially since the cop says the kid wasn’t moving.
I think it is wrong to automatically defend or accuse a police officer of wrongdoing. Alas, they are all too human, and can do stupid and evil things, just as civilians can.
The cop or the 17 year old?
The cop was trained to hold the trigger down for 5 seconds max. That is what I heard a CMPD officer say on 1110 AM.
Both. Imagine getting onto a fight with your boss and being killed the same day by the cop who responded to a call. It seems cops lives are worth more than citizens lives.
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