Police investigating whether man died from police Taser

Police investigating whether man died from police Taser

www.wsvn.com

"They Tased him three different times. They just kept Tasing him. I told the police, 'You're going to kill that man,' so after they did it a third time, I just walked away," said Severence.
Severence said his friend saw police shock Oliver a fourth time.

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[edit on 16/8/2008 by Mirthful Me]

More black americans getting tasered to death for nothing, and this time intentionally! I thought the intentional part would be more likely to happen in a place like Cleveland rather than Florida.

www.wsvn.com
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[edit on 16/8/2008 by Mirthful Me]

reply to post by MegaCurious





You will notice from this chart that Florida is one of the top spots for Taser deaths in the US.

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[edit on 16/8/2008 by Mirthful Me]

I would love to see that map next to "shooting deaths" by police side by side just for comparison. You know there is a big problem if shooting deaths are similar

Let me first start by saying this is indeed a tragic event. Absolutely senseless!

But C'mon... intentionally tasered man to death? At 3:30 am? and he was on drugs? and he wouldn't comply with officer commands?

I gotta tell you, police now a days have a next to impossible job. Here's some advice for you if you don't want to be tasered to death. Stay off drugs! If you can't do this, then do not go door to door at 3:30 am screaming at people in their sleep. If you can't follow these two pearls of wisdom and the cops do show up, (and you have pins in your shoulder) lay face down palms up, remain quiet and absolutely still, and you will stand a very good chance of NOT being tasered to death.

I don't know what the odds are for death or injury to police officers responding to domestic disputes involving persons under the influence, but I'm sure it's up there compared to most other calls. Most peace officers do not get enough credit for the work they do and the general public seems to be all to swift to vilify them for taking measures to protect themselves and the general public. I personally have seen some amazing feats of human strength with people under the influence. If you have never witnessed anything like this, 3 or 4 tasers might seem to be excessive, but if you have, the officers actions may have been justified. For all we know, more lives may had been lost if not for the actions of the officers.

But hey I'm open minded... If after a complete investigation it is determined they used excessive force in subduing this person, then they should be disciplined and or prosecuted.


[edit on 8/16/2008 by TheRooster]

Originally posted by TheRooster
Most peace officers do not get enough credit for the work they do and the general public seems to be all to swift to vilify them for taking measures to protect themselves and the general public.

The problem for me is, these kinds of events are becoming more and more common. That is, incidents of people being tasered multiple times for "failing to comply". I don't think it's right to taser a person, if they truly require such measures, more than once or twice. If a police officer is unable to handcuff the offending person after they have been tased once or twice, they are, without doubt, incompetent.

Edit: The title of this thread needs to be changed to the article's headline. It's somewhat misleading.

[edit on 8/16/2008 by iceofspades]

Originally posted by MegaCurious
More black americans getting tasered to death for nothing...

Is there a reason you decided to bring race into this?

reply to post by iceofspades


I respectfully disagree with this statement... " If a police officer is unable to handcuff the offending person after they have been tased once or twice, they are, without doubt, incompetent".

Unfortunatley my home state (Nevada) is the capital of Crystal Meth. In most cases when the cops have been called, these "Meth Heads" have been up for daaaaaay's jacked up on that crap. I once witnessed a 90 lb female pin a 6 foot 2 inch man to the ground when she was "high" on Meth. When high on drugs, these individuals become unpredictable.

The reason you hear more and more people dying as a result of tasing is because more and more people are being tased. It has been considered a more effective alternative to drawing a service weapon. Like I stated in my previous post, if you don't want to be tased, don't do stupid things.

When the police start tasing the general public for no good reason at all I'll jump on your band wagon. And as far as the issue of race being applied to this phenomenon, the numbers support the facts here, blacks commit more crimes!

reply to post by TheRooster


Maybe the police should quit selling the drugs they recover back to the dealers.
Maybe the police should do there job and quit trying to "make a little extra cash on the side".
Honestly, think about it, police don't get paid a whole lot, so the offer of getting a little more cash by taknig drugs from users and selling them back to the dealers is pretty temping.
I know for a fact that there are many cops out there that willingly do not arrest drug dealers, but instead sell them the drugs they took from the users.

Drugs are bad here in america cause there are corrupt people in high places, always has been, always will be.

-Jimmy

reply to post by jimmyjackblack


JJB, as I satated in my post, if these officers are found to have been out of line then they should be punished. If you personally know of an officer on the take then report him/her. In Washoe county this week a wife turned her husband in (sheriffs deputy) after finding child porn on his computer. The scum of the earth find their way into every level of society, it's our duty to not only criticize them (or the system), but to hold them accountable for their actions.

reply to post by TheRooster


It was a long time ago, what I saw, like 2 or 3 years ago, but there are a few things in my town (since I live in a new town), that I have seen that crooked cops are doing, but who do I report this stuff to? I can't go to the police, the FBI? Well I don't know if the FBI would do anything about it, I think this goes a little deeper than just local authorities to be honest.

-Jimmy

reply to post by jimmyjackblack


Find a beat writer in your local newspaper and document everything you can. Go to the FBI and the paper at the same time with the identical documentation. You will need names, times, locations, etc... and someone to corroborate your experiences (a friend if you have one). If you give the FBI enough documentation they'll be able to build a case without your involvement (testimony). Or you can do nothing, but if you do nothing remember you have lost your right to bitch about crooked cops on ATS.

Guys, I`m not sure if it`s the cops as much as it is the CIA. It`s nice to know we have such departments like this, departments who, if they can`t get the funding from the government, they turn to their own means to get it, by selling drugs. Read on.


www.abovetopsecret.com...


Makes you wonder what kind of a world we really live in.

[edit on 16-8-2008 by FiatLux]

But C'mon... intentionally tasered man to death? At 3:30 am? and he was on drugs? and he wouldn't comply with officer commands?

That's no reason to taser him.

I've seen videos of a taser being used when a suspect is already restrained. At that point it is unreasonable force IMHO.

With these deaths, I also think it should be re-classified as a lethal weapon. There are too many deaths for it to be considered non-lethal.

On top of that, the people they're tasering aren't suitable to be tasered - people on drugs are going to be suffering enough heart problems without being electrocuted.

reply to post by FiatLux


I agree, cops who sells drugs are just the small fry's, the big ones are the CIA.

Well, Rooster, I've actually went to some people about some things, not the cop stuff, but the people always want proof, now that I live way out in the country, I don't see it as much as I did when I lived in the city. People around town know about the crooked cops though, they actually know more about them than I do sense I'm new to this area I live in.
If I find out anything that I can actually document, I'll do what you suggested, sorta using the newspaper as insurance that the crooked cops wont hunt me down.

-Jimmy

Back on topic, I think one thing that needs to be made clear here is this:

When you have a bunch of electricity running through you, it tenses you up for a while, so you a stiff and unable to comply because you can't move. I think if the cops are going to be using tasers, there needs to be a limit on how many times they can taser a person.
Honestly, I would love for an honest cop to come on here and tell us what the heck is going on. Is it the training? Are they being brainwashed? What the heck is going on?
The only cops I've seen on here though are the football team cops, where they do anything to defend there team, nomatter what wrongs there team does, it's the same with politics, republicans defend republicans no matter what and democrats defend democrats no matter what. The government is real good at placing devision within our country.

-Jimmy

reply to post by mirageofdeceit


It's not? What are you going to do, try to talk your way out of it? Good luck with that.

In a scuffle with a deranged or drugged lunatic you are likely to be a victim of your own service weapon. I'm sorry, if you put yourself in this situation because you need drugs to alter your state you get no sympathy from me. And I'm a recovering addict!

This is sick. This man had a lengthy criminal record, apparently, ending in 2000 and now he's recently graduated from college!? Sounds like somebody actually rehabilitated by the system!! That's the tragedy of this, if I may say, that a man plagued by a heart problem, seeking help, after having paid his legitimate dues to society, falls victim to the kind of hypocrisy that most likely made him feel justified as a criminal in the first place.

Is it not a stretch to say the stress and tension of a heart attack, or the intimate knowledge of your own medical condition flaring up violently, may make you act like you're a little out of it?

SAD AND SENSELESS! I hope these cops go to jail.

Originally posted by Johnmike

Originally posted by MegaCurious
More black americans getting tasered to death for nothing...

Is there a reason you decided to bring race into this?

Because I don't recall the last non-black person who died from taser death do you?

tasers are NOT considered non-lethal. they are considered less lethal. just like rubber bullets. anyone who tells you that they are called non-lethal do not know what they are talking about. when you study use of force in the police academy they tell you this.