Posted on 10/31/2006 6:44:53 AM PST by Types_with_Fist
JERSEYVILLE, Ill. - A teenager carrying a Bible and shouting “I want Jesus” was shot twice with a police stun gun and later died at a St. Louis hospital, authorities said.
In a statement obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, police in Jerseyville, about 40 miles north of St. Louis, said 17-year-old Roger Holyfield would not acknowledge officers who approached him and he continued yelling, “I want Jesus.”
Police tried to calm the teen, but Holyfield became combative, according to the statement. Officers fired the stun gun at him after he ignored their warnings, then fired again when he continued struggling, police said.
Holyfield was flown to St. Louis’ Cardinal Glennon Hospital after the confrontation Saturday; he died there Sunday, police said.
An autopsy was planned for Tuesday.
The statement expressed sympathy to Holyfield’s family but said city and police officials would not discuss the matter further.
Calls Tuesday to Jerseyville Police Chief Brad Blackorby were not immediately returned. The department has been using stun guns for about five months, according to the statement.
In a report released in March, international human rights group Amnesty International said it had logged at least 156 deaths across the country in the previous five years related to police stun guns.
The rise in deaths accompanies a marked increase in the number of U.S. law enforcement agencies employing devices made by Taser International Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz. About 1,000 of the nation’s 18,000 police agencies used Tasers in 2001; more than 7,000 departments had them last year, according to a government study.
Police had used Tasers more than 70,000 times as of last year, Congress’ Government Accountability Office said.
Amnesty International has urged police departments to suspend the use of Tasers pending more study. Taser International said the group’s count was flawed and falsely linked deaths to Taser use when there has been no such official conclusion.
The city of St. Louis also drew unwanted attention for crime this week when it was named the most dangerous U.S. city by Morgan Quitno Press. The ranking looked only at crime within St. Louis city limits, not its metro area.
"Making a judgment without all the facts is quite foolish."
Certain inferences can be drawn from repeated behaviors. Repeatedly tasers have been wrongfully used and have wrongfully killed citizens. It is foolish to ignore this fact.
No need, I can year your shouts with just your text.
And now to further add fuel to the fire of your stereotype: Pr 15:14 ¶ The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
As I am the one saying that we need more information about the specifics of this situation (i.e., I "seeketh knowledge"), and you are spouting ill-informed judgments about these cops, I'd say that you should really practice what you preach.
Do you think it is ever justified to use tasers on children?
How do you defend yourself from a man wielding a banana?
So you don't have to over-analyze my question above, let me be more specific, a child is defined by 13 and under.
Your voice is rendered mute by the vitriol you spew against anyone who disagrees with you. You have blatantly assumed that anything to the benefit of these LEOs should be stipulated, and that any idea counter to their benefit is simply paranoia, martyr complex, or stupidity.
It's sad to see someone so wrapped up in defending their own opinion that they must use pure speculation to defend against someone else's supposition. I hope you one day learn the ways of logical discourse, sir.
Sadly more and more police forces are getting militarized or are working under unchecked corruption where only the bullies get promoted. In other cases, they are just getting lied to. In Putnam County FL after 12 children were tased and a Marine was wrongly tased in front of his house, this was reported to have happened at a Town Hall meeting when Panel faces heat after tazing incident
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Rob Reisinger, the training officer for the Leon County Sheriff's Department said he has tased over 200 people and been tased on several occasions.
Reisinger said he believes the effects on the body are minimal at worst.
"It will not disrupt the heart. It will not disrupt the pacemaker," Reisinger proclaimed.
"Rake your feet across the carpet a couple of times and touch something medal. That's approximately 50,000 watts."
When the eruption of laughter that ensued following Reisinger's comments finally subsided, someone seemingly more qualified to comment on such a matter rebutted his statement.
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Even ignorant born agains like me know that 50,000 watts is either a typo or a mispeak, but that aside, by Reisinger's definition, "Help, I've just tased myself"!)
But no wonder Reisinger made a fool of himself and they've been tasing so many children. In the article, Experts debate stun guns Gary Bowling, a training officer for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said he left a Taser seminar thinking UL endorsed Tasers. He said the UL name convinced him that he could ``Taser a 4- to 400-year-old, if necessary.''
''I trust UL,'' Bowling said. ``I treat that chart as gospel.''
When told by The Herald that UL had not tested the product, Bowling said, ``That chart's misleading. I looked at that and I thought UL had tested Tasers and put that dot on the chart.''
Inferences can be drawn. The question is, are the inferences reasonable under the facts. Even if it were stipulated that tasers have been wrongfully used and have wrongfully killed citizens in the past, I know of no evidence to show that any wrongful actions have ever been established as against these particular officers. Absent such evidence, drawing such an inference in this case is unreasonable and should be discarded, pending additional information.
Ever justified? Yes. Always justified? No.
Even if this were the case, I would not much care. I am posting to express my opinion, not to make anyone feel all warm and fuzzy. If someone chooses not to read my posts because they disapprove of my tone, that is their loss, not mine.
You have blatantly assumed that anything to the benefit of these LEOs should be stipulated, and that any idea counter to their benefit is simply paranoia, martyr complex, or stupidity.
No, I haven't. I have pointed out that there is simply not enough information to make any kind of determination as to whether these officers used excessive force, and pointed out the type and kinds of information which must be explored before such a conclusion is even reasonably possible.
Now, I have expressed the opinion that those who are making such an irresponsible leap as to adjudge these officers guilty before the facts are in are suffering from paranoia or a martyr complex, although I don't remember calling them stupid. (Not that I don't think that is necessarily an inapt description, mind you. I just don't remember actually using that word.)
It's sad to see someone so wrapped up in defending their own opinion that they must use pure speculation to defend against someone else's supposition.
Actually, quite the contrary. I am saying that everyone should not use speculation or supposition, and wait for all the facts to come in before deciding that these cops are guilty of anything.
Back when I was a cop (1968-1975), it was "beat the crap out of him with the billy club until he stops resisting."
Yes. Back when I was a cop, they would've "tuned him up" with billy clubs.
Some officers experience being tasered as part of their training and know first hand how it feels.
Carrying a Bible and shouting “I want Jesus” is now punishable by death?
Why didn't you read the story?
It sounds like he was in the early stages of a 'glucose sag' possibly caused by not eating when he should have, or taking too much insulin.
No, BeHoldAPaleHorse, I didn't mean this kid, I meant children 13 and under, did they ever "tune up" kids that young? And okay, please don't include in the hypothetical an example of a 13 year old, 200 pound wrestler with a gun to his grandmother's forehead, as an example of a "child", I mean average looking kids of normal stature and normal weight.
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