Another Death that will be Blamed on Taser

[helicopper 1,050]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/04/22/florida.suspect.dead/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- A man causing a disturbance outside a movie theater near Universal Studios died Friday after being handcuffed and shocked with a Taser stun gun, Orlando police said.

[INIT915 1,119]

Tasers have saved THOUSANDS of lives and prevented THOUSANDS more in injuries. That is the bottom line. Many people have been tased, which, if a Taser wasn't an option, probably would have been shot.

Consider all the successful cases of perps with knives, baseball bats, and other weapons that might have otherwise been lawfully subjected to deadly physical force.

[helicopper 1,050]

Tasers have saved THOUSANDS of lives and prevented THOUSANDS more in injuries. That is the bottom line. Many people have been tased, which, if a Taser wasn't an option, probably would have been shot.

Consider all the successful cases of perps with knives, baseball bats, and other weapons that might have otherwise been lawfully subjected to deadly physical force.

I wholeheartedly agree. It's saved millions of dollars in legal action to defend officers who are compelled to use physical and/or deadly physical force in the absence of a Taser.

Sadly they will spin it as the Taser killed the guy.

[NWFDMedic 58]

Well, from the information there, it sounds like the Taser did kill the guy, although I'm sure an autopsy report will tell the real story. I'm all for the use of "less than lethal" options, but just like anything else, the use of force must be restricted to the situations where it is necessary. If the Taser kills a criminal who put himself in the position of needing to be tasered by the police, the real fault lies with the criminal. I'd rather put a low risk on the life of a suspected criminal who is resisting forcibly than risk injury to a police officer who is doing his/her job.

[helicopper 1,050]

Well, from the information there, it sounds like the Taser did kill the guy, although I'm sure an autopsy report will tell the real story. I'm all for the use of "less than lethal" options, but just like anything else, the use of force must be restricted to the situations where it is necessary. If the Taser kills a criminal who put himself in the position of needing to be tasered by the police, the real fault lies with the criminal. I'd rather put a low risk on the life of a suspected criminal who is resisting forcibly than risk injury to a police officer who is doing his/her job.

I doubt very much that the Taser killed the guy. I'm willing to bet that there were recreational pharmaceuticals involved that contributed more to his death than the Taser. And the guy was apparently in custody, handcuffed on the ground, when he became unresponsive - well after the use of the Taser. This is one of the reasons that I posted this story. As soon as a Taser is involved it becomes the headline. Had the guy been brought down by OC, a baton, or just a well-trained cop, the headlines wouldn't be so "sensational".

RESULTS:

Conducted electrical weapons were used against 1,201 subjects during 36 months. One thousand one hundred twenty-five subjects (94%) were men; the median age was 30 years (range 13 to 80 years). Mild or no injuries were observed after conducted electrical weapon use in 1,198 subjects (99.75%; 95% confidence interval 99.3% to 99.9%). Of mild injuries, 83% were superficial puncture wounds from conducted electrical weapon probes. Significant injuries occurred in 3 subjects (0.25%; 95% confidence interval 0.07% to 0.7%), including 2 intracranial injuries from falls and 1 case of rhabdomyolysis. Two subjects died in police custody; medical examiners did not find conducted electrical weapon use to be causal or contributory in either case.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19157651?dopt=Citation

[joetnymedic 43]

and another one - this time in Connecticut. I'm pretty sure this one is going to wind up being caused by an underlying medical problem though. but that's just a feeling.

joe

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/man-dies-after-being-tasered-in-waterbury