Deaf Man Tasered By Cops For Pointing at His Ear

Deaf Man Tasered By Cops For Pointing at His Ear

www.kwch.com

Donnell Williams had just gotten out of the bath tub, wearing only a towel around his waist, when he turned the corner to see guns pointing right at him.
Police forced entry into Williams home while responding to a shooting, but it turned out to be a false call.
Without his hearing aid he is basically deaf.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Thats disgusting. These taser happy cops have gone way too far. This "shoot first, ask questions later" policy has gone on much too long. They are tasering pregnant women, deaf folks, kids... Someone has to do something about these folks.

What do the rest of you think about this?

www.kwch.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This is sad at best

I jokingly mentioned something like this on another taser thread. Didn't think it would happen this soon though. May be the cops thought his pointing was the universal symbol for shoot me.

Edit: make word best



[edit on 12/5/2007 by roadgravel]

Do I wish there would have been some way they were notified in advance this gentleman was hearing impaired?

Somehow, I doubt very much that the victim did not try to convey this information to the cops. Then again, if I saw a guy in a towel, and nothing else, pointing to his ear, I'd fear for my life too.

In this case, I don't blame the officers for being edgy, having weapons drawn, etc., as they were responding to a shooting call. But it's still ridiculous, and another lawsuit is warranted.

*goes back to waiting to read about a cop being tased by a motorist*

Here is another video and article of a different incident.

VIDEO: Handcuffed Woman Tased in Police Station

The article has this to say about the way law enforcemet uses force.

“Tasers occupy a strange place in the police rulebook,” notes Peter Gorman, writing for the Fort Worth Weekly. “Law enforcement officers learn what is called a ‘use of force continuum’ to determine what means or weapons they may use in different situations. The ‘continuum’ begins with simple police presence, then moves up to issuing commands, then the use of open hands, and after that, pepper or other chemical sprays, closed hands (including elbows and knees and other takedown moves), the use of a hard baton, and finally, the use of lethal force.”

You might think Tasers would fit somewhere near the “lethal force” end of that list, right before a gun. Instead, however, many police agencies place Tasers immediately after the “issuing commands” force level — which suggests to officers that using a Taser is less serious even than a push or pepper spray. Which also means that if an officer asks you to produce your driver’s license and you ask “Why?” rather than immediately complying with the order, there’s a chance, in some jurisdictions, that you could, within their rules, be hit with a Taser for refusing the command. That’s in part how Tasers have begun to be used, not as serious, life-threatening weapons, but as a bully’s tool of compliance, something to get people in line — with sometimes egregious consequences.

That right there is the WHOLE problem with the way Tasers are now being used.



[edit on 5/12/07 by Keyhole]

They have somekind of intention to take advantage of this brutal weapon. It is a weapon of police brutality which amuses the police with their sadistic attitude. For the sake of humanity, how would they feel if they are tasered in the sensitive areas of the body with the highest voltage?

Being a victim of Police brutality myself, I know how it feels to be turned upon by the people that are supposed to protect you. I think the Police today feel more inclined to use excessive because they are armed to the teeth with "non life threatening weapons". They figure, instead of trying to figure out the situation and gain control using verbal commands they will go ahead and taze, baton, beanbag gun, mace, etc, you. Poor training has a lot to do with it.

I still respect the Police force and think most of them fufill their duty in a correct manner, there are the bad ones.

reply to post by leisuredrummer


That has got to be one of the most unbiased post I have seen on ATS in a very long time.

I think you are right to for the most part. I think another part might be that these officers were overly stressed to the point of jumping on the first movement they see. The old adage of shoot first asks later.

I mean when you are in the shower and leaving the bathroom much like me you might not be jumping out of the bathroom but also not leaving in a very slow manner of movement. In other words some of our normal movements might be seen as not cautious. I am not defending completely their actions but I would guess they came into the house and were stating they were there and asking for people to announce themselves. Not getting a response and then some guy walking out of the bathroom most likely freaked the cop out. I think the officer might have been a little jumpy, maybe he just needed a good vacation and this might not have happened.


Really though I cannot imagine why pointing at his ear/head would amount to a threat (unless someone is pointing a weapon at their head).

Raist

Thank Goodness they didnt shoot him instead! Altho people have died from being tasered so it is not a pure less than lethal force. The COP who did it should be suspened for 6 months. Police need better training to prevent such abuse of power...or C.O.P. will start to take on a new meaning: Cowardice On Parade. Whatever happened the meaningful motto "To Protect and Serve"?????

The cop was conditioned to shoot if the "suspect" made any sudden moves with his hand....and the fact that he pointed at his head (ear) didnt obviate the situation. He moved and the cop shot...luckily it was a taser and not a .40 bullet.

No doubt he was trying to convey that he'd heard that cops over-react and abuse their power.... so they let him have it. Amazing how much bad publicity the police manage to make for themselves.

They were responding to a shooting. They had a guy not doing what he was told to do. The cops do not know he is deaf. He got tased.

If I am responding to a shooting and I see a person who is not following orders I would be inclined to tase him. I would rather be extra cautious and go home that night. Of course since it was a deaf guy the cops used excessive force.

I wonder how many read the whole article. If you did then you would know that it was a fake reporting that put the cops there at his house to begin with.

Yeah someone should be sued, but it shouldn't be the cops.

this is exactly why you dont let barney fife deputize otis!

I dont know whats worse, cops breaking and entering a domicile from which NO 911 CALL was made, or tasering someone fresh out of the bath tub. someone needs to dump a bucket of water on these IDIOTS and give them a a few thousand volts.

If you see a man in a towel point to his ear while he says " I CANT HEAR!!", common sense should tell you that he is very likely deaf.

the good news is if you need a job apparently the Wichita PD has very slack requirements...

This is for JD140 who said "someone should be sued, but it shouldn't be the police". Let me explain something to you JD140 - if you are a police officer and respond to a shooting and you then break into someones home and find them naked, coming out of the shower, with only a towel wrapped around themselves - it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out this person is not only un-clothed, he's also un-armed!! Get it?? If those bastards had tasered my deaf father - I would make it my personal goal to seek them out and taser them into oblivion. They are just so carried away with their authority, it makes me sick. Once, when I was a much younger man - I was ultimately pulled over in a DUI experience snd admittedly, I was, sorry to say - quite intoxicated. The officer pulled me out of the car and kicked my ass. There was not much I could do about it.
He was over 6 feet tall - I'm 5'4" and disabled, but that didn't matter to him.

I think this is hilarious. Not for the deaf guy but there are so many recent tasering of people who just do nothing. either unarmed, deaf, pregnant, etc.

whats the next article im going to see? Police taser boy who was mooning police? Police taser 3 year old who picked his nose and flung it at police? Police taser monkey at zoo who flung poo at them?

Yankee supporting police taser man wearing suspicious looking mets cap?

Originally posted by jd140
They were responding to a shooting. They had a guy not doing what he was told to do. The cops do not know he is deaf. He got tased.

If I am responding to a shooting and I see a person who is not following orders I would be inclined to tase him. I would rather be extra cautious and go home that night. Of course since it was a deaf guy the cops used excessive force.

I wonder how many read the whole article. If you did then you would know that it was a fake reporting that put the cops there at his house to begin with.

Yeah someone should be sued, but it shouldn't be the cops.

Are you kidding? He was wearing a towel pointing at his ears

"I kept going to my ear yelling that I was scared. I can't hear! I can't hear!"

Yeah real threatening, this is sick. At some point the people will get tired of these obvious abuses.

You never know, by the mentality of many that support this type of police brutality, he perhaps had that gun shove inside his ear and was about to take out and shoot the police that were pointing guns at him while holding to his towel.

You know what? that makes sense.

Raist, I agree with you. I have to say, I would be jumpy as an Officer in the same situation.

I think in this particular case, if they would have taken a little more time and assessed the situation instead of rushing, this probably could have been avoided.

[edit on 1/5/2009 by leisuredrummer]