Darryl Turner
Turner became very agitated and would not follow verbal commands. As the situation escalated, Turner walked toward one of the officers, at which point he was tased.
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.
It’s not so much that I expect folks here to be smarter than others.
As conservatives, the media rarely gets our side of the story right, and it’s done to our detriment. That should teach us something - a healthy skepticism of the media in general.
Also, I can honestly say I’ve never known you to be anything less than brilliant. :)
Getting shot in the arm is not like on TV. You don't wind up at the end of the episode with your arm in a sling and completely healed by the following week. Hit a major artery, and the guy will bleed to death before the paramedics can arrive. Hit the bone and the doctors will likely have to amputate. Then you have a crippled kid suing the dept for $100M
The guy kept going after being zapped. He did not go down immediately. He was likely on drugs, and would have kept coming after a wounding shot, which would have required a follow-up in the head
But it’s not this thread. Any negative story about a cop — and I am not even related to anyone on law enforcement — and I would guess it was a DU, if I didn’t know better.
That was going to be my next question. Maybe their son should have learned a lesson at home not to get in a confrontation with his supervisor at work.
Darryl Turner
Turner became very agitated and would not follow verbal commands. As the situation escalated, Turner walked toward one of the officers, at which point he was tased.
I stopped reading right there, because I don't agree; at least not around here, they are not "low paid".
Having said that, the flaw in embracing that argument is that, for most people, no amount of money is worth risking one's life for. It takes a special type of person to go there. Doesn't mean that his services are worth more than the president's.
Do you know of any guilty civilians killed by cops.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. used his Taser after police received a disturbance call about 1:15 p.m. Thursday from the grocery store on Prosperity Church Road. Darryl Turner had worked in the University City store for about a year as a cashier and bagger.
Family members and co-workers said Turner, who graduated last year from a charter high school and planned to attend college, was a good student and reliable employee. His court record consists of three traffic offenses. His mother said her son had a temper but was not violent. She did say that Turner had come home for lunch Thursday and told her he had stolen a couple of Hot Pockets from the store. He was afraid of getting in trouble, she said, but she told him to go back to the store and admit what he did.
Police received the disturbance call soon after. As Dawson arrived at the store, police said, an “agitated” Turner threw something at a manager. Turner ignored Dawson’s commands and advanced toward him. Dawson then used the Taser to get him under control, police said.
That statement suggests you must be using some great stuff...
Didn’t I say “by accident”?
Conservatism is about self responsibility, self reliance, and rule of laws. The police are the armed enforcers of the city and county governments that they work for. Most in this country through federalism run amuck such as drug war, seat belt safety enforcement etc. A conservative relies on himself for his safety by owning guns to defend himself and driving responsibly to ensure his own safety. If I were to accidentally kill someone the charge would be manslaughter. If a cop kills somebody accidentally with a Taser he should get the same charge. Police should be trained to de-escalate but they tend to escalate confrontations and kill people.
My conclusion is that a healthy mistrust of the police, cities and governments is completely compatible with conservatism.
“Little wonder the cop didn’t think it was working. “
So we zap him again with what seems to be a broken taser? If it’s broken perhaps it can kill?
Thanks for the info; I did not think of the arteries etc.....it really could be dangerous I guess, so the taser was the best option.
Tasers should be implanted at birth so they could be activated by anyone who thinks you are agitated.
Oh, Well that wraps that up. I’m sure the DEAD kids mother feels better now.
Don't know.
But I also stopped beating my wife.
I have heard of civilians who seemed to, if not ask for it, at least made it inevitable.
I also don't personally know any civilians, innocent or otherwise who would challenge an officer with "'tude".
Maybe she should have taught him better at home!
When someone with a gun (taser or otherwise) suggests that you stop maybe you should stop.
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