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.
I guess the cops should be the crap out of them with their batons ect.
Failure to follow procedure is not wrong doing? If he weren’t wrong the cop would not have been punished.
“severely limit their use by cops”
Personally, I’d like to see every cop in the nation get up and walk out for good. It’s a crappy job for low pay and they put their lives on the line for citizens every day who then decide to second guess them or want to take any weapons they have away. Good luck defending yourself.—You deal with the suits from the “aggrieved” families of the thugs they raised and who are looking for a payday at your expense.
Good answer
I am beginning to think that arming the cops with less then lethal gadgets while a good idea,also increases their potential for abuse
****standing ovation****
Agreed. Go back to truncheons and billy clubs.
It still sounds like manslaughter to me.
He didn’t think the taser was working, as the suspect continued as though nothing had happened.
The officer was responding to a belligerent and threatening suspect, not raising funds or conducting a traffic stop.
I watched the video, and it didn’t look like the taser had any effect on the guy at all. I probably would have tased him a second time, then written the taser off as broken, and whacked him with my nightstick.
It’s his fault that he didn’t follow procedure. He did not intend to kill the suspect.
Watch the video. It does contain the part in which the suspect is initially tasered. Notice the suspect calmly start walking away from the officer.
It’s as though the taser didn’t have any effect.
Please see my full comment - I did indeed say that he was wrong to have not followed the procedure of only using the taser for 5 seconds.
FR bookmark , for later , .. (( compiling my Election Year List ))
What a load of bullhocky, how many threads have there been about the police overuseing/misusings these things.
Police use taser on blind woman with cancer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048470/posts
There are too many people here on free republic who think that having a badge is excuse for behavior that no free society should allow.
I’m not certain about this, but I believe that it would have to be shown in court that the officer believed that he indeed was applying the current.
According to his statements and an investigation by the department, since the suspect didn’t react in the usual manner, the officer may have truly believed that nothing was happening.
In that case, it would be an accidental death, not manslaughter.
Like I said—I’d like to see every cop walk off the job —just to see what would happen to all the police bashers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.