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.
In this case, the citizen was "conducting" quite well.
I rather die by the gun than get electricuted
Something everyone should consider in these situations. Whether you're a cop-basher or cops-are-always-right type, nothing is ever what it may seem in a news report. I've seen the news media get it wrong more than right in many cases. Add to that, they will only give you portions of a story leaving out relevant details. You can't make judgments about the guilt or innocence of cops or criminals based on the news so easily.
OMG...that would kill anyone wouldn't it??
I live in Charlotte, so let me assure you that if your only reference in regards to this story is this one article, then I can assure you that you are not well-informed (only because the article is a smear job, not due to any fault of yours).
Trust me that when the cop says the kid wasn’t moving, it was not a case of the cop standing over a motionless body that appeared unconscious and zapping it. He meant that the suspect wasn’t doing what the officer instructed.
Should the officer have let off the taser? Yes. But the officer should not be fired or get a job at 7/11 as you suggested.
It’s unfortunate that the suspect died, but this is not a case of wrongdoing by the officer more than just failure to follow procedure.
I don’t know why you would say that “I think it is wrong to automatically defend or accuse a police officer” after saying “The cop should be fired. He can get a job at a 7/11.”
It sounds as though you are automatically accusing this officer of wrongdoing.
Trust me, this story from the DC station is a hit-job on the officer.
I’ve seen the video. The DC station conveniently edited out the part that shows the suspect acting in a way that clearly warrants the use of a taser.
Exactly my point, thank you.
I live in Charlotte. The only reason I can think of for a local station in the DC area to run this story, AFTER EDITING THE SECURITY VIDEO, is to continue the propaganda “Cops bad” line.
There should be a Conservatism 101 course in which one of the first lessons taught is that the news media is NOT about sharing information, it’s about perpetuating an agenda.
Anyone who watches this story and finds themselves with an obligatory, knee-jerk reaction of anger towards some “evil officers!” is having their emotions manipulated by the media, plain and simple.
Well, it does tend to keep the rest of the employees in line. Night sticks are only used on employees asking for raises or showing up late.
I wonder what brand of Taser will deliver 37 continuous seconds of shock? Did he change batteries? Something isn’t clear here. Most tasers that I am familiar with only deliver a 5 second burst without a second depression of the trigger. Did this poor 17 year old continue to struggle or was this officer some kind of sadist? Further, Tasers provide records of discharge that can be downloaded and examined to find the actual record of discharge. Clearly, this information may have considerable bearing on the administrative decision not to charge the officer.
Why didn’t he reach for his gun instead of basically putting a live electrical current to his heart for almost a minute?
He should have shot the guy in the arm, and it would have been over.
This jerk would have probably emptied his into the kid.
I wonder if he's ever been shocked with one? Just MAYBE then he wouldn't have held the trigger down as long as he did. Or chances are also he would have held it down longer.
Tasers are LETHAL weapons in the guise of non-lethal.
They should be outlawed as a cruel and unusual means or forcing submission. Waterboarding is probably less of a violation.
I'm beginning to think it's a better idea. Then there's no doubt on either side that death is certain. Could stop a lot of problems before they happen. I think the teen would have reacted differently to a .38 pointed at his head.
Conservatisim is the EXACT reason that so many of us don’t appreciate characterstics of a dictatorship or a facist.
The role of cops have changed into “fund raiser”. Instead of being prominent in traffic to actually PREVENT speeding and promote safety, now there are fleets of unmarked cars and high-tech speed detection devices made to covertly CATCH speeders. Protect and serve has turned into snag and fine.
He just killed a kid with a taser. It's not his fault.
Hopefully, all out of the pocket of the punk bitch cop that killed the kid.
But I think we need to take them away or severely limit their use by the cops. There seems to be to much abuse of these things by the police
“The cop tasered the suspect, but didn’t think the taser was working since the suspect didn’t respond at all.”
Tough kid, or high on something?
The use of the officer's sidearm would be considered lethal force. In other words, the officer would only use his sidearm if lethal force was justified. The taser, when used properly, is considered less-lethal or less-than-lethal. Obviously the taser had lethal consequences in this situation...therefore, the subsequent debate.
Why?
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