Michigan Taser Deaths since 2003
In approximately 2000, Taser International began to replace early Taser models up to the Air Taser with the M26 model and starting in 2003 by the X26. The electrical charge is different in these models so the medical reaction should differ.
In some cases, the role of the Taser deployment in the subsequent death is unclear. In some cases the person died very soon after the Taser application and in others they died minutes or hours later without other obvious causes of death.
John Thompson 44 white male Carrollton Twp. August 2003
http://www.minbcnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=308130
Became violent during a card game with friends. Police were called. They shocked him multiple times with a Taser. He was taken to jail where he struggled with officers. Later, while in an isolation cell, Johnson seemed unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital and later died. A coroner said Thompson's death was not a result of physical force but said the cause of death was unknown.
Charles Keiser 47 male Hartland Twp. Nov 2004
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-12-29-death-after-taser_x.htm
Keiser took a bulldozer from a road construction site and moved it onto a highway. When state police officers arrived, he was reportedly trying to start a backhoe and move it onto the highway. Keiser fled and police chased him into some woods. During a scuffle with the officers, Keiser reportedly grabbed one by the throat. Four sheriff's deputies arrived. Keiser was shocked three times with a Taser and stopped breathing at the scene.
Steven Hooker 21 male Kalamazoo Jan 2006
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/archive/index.php/t-236949.html
A 21-year-old man died Wednesday after swallowing more than 20 grams of powder cocaine to conceal it from police during a drug bust in Oshtemo Township, authorities said. Steven Hooker barricaded himself in the bathroom of his North Drake Road apartment at about 1:45 p.m. as members of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team were searching the apartment, police said. When officers entered the bathroom, Hooker threatened them with a kitchen knife, according to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Officers used a Taser, a type of stun gun, to subdue him. Hooker then began showing signs of a drug overdose, officers said. When questioned, he told officers he had swallowed more than 20 grams of powder cocaine, which has a street value of about $2,000, according to police. Hooker was taken by ambulance to Bronson Methodist Hospital, where he later died. An autopsy was to be performed today, Public Safety Chief Dan Weston said.
(Commentary: This case is listed in most reports of deaths after Taser deployment but if this description is correct, it would appear to be due to a drug overdose)
James Simons 35 male Lincoln Park Oct 2006
http://www.crimeshots.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3983&page=2
37-year-old James Simons died at Wyandotte Hospital not long after being tasered by Lincoln Park police officers. Chief Thomas Karnes said the officers were sent to the Indian Village Apartments when two people called 911. The first caller said Simons was drunk, the other said he was having hallucinations due to a diabetic episode. Karnes said Simons was so agitated he wouldn’t allow the officers to examine him.
"Our preliminary review of the incident shows the officers’ actions were measured and appropriate for the situation. Mr. Simons proceeded to kick wildly at the officers and grabbed an officer and was biting his leg. One of the officers was armed with a Taser. Several warnings were given that the Taser was going to be deployed," said Chief Karnes. Karnes said the officers stung Simons twice with the Taser, but family members said more excessive force was used.
Keith Kallstrom 56 male Milan Jan 2007
Robert Mitchell 16 black male Detroit April 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/28/michigan.taser.death/
Robert Mitchell died April 10 in an abandoned house in Warren. Warren police had pulled over Mitchell's cousin, Chris Davis, for having an expired license plate when Mitchell "jumped out and started running," Davis said. "I told him not to, but he was real scared," Davis told CNN. "He was petrified. He hopped out the car and started running."
Police followed Mitchell into an abandoned house about two blocks away. Officers tried to apprehend him once he was inside, but he resisted, Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer told CNN. "They ordered him several times not to resist, and he continued to resist," Dwyer said. "They had no alternative to use what they felt at the time was non-lethal force." The commissioner called Mitchell's death "a tragedy," but said police who watch someone run from them "can only assume he committed a crime or is wanted for a crime." The officers had been trained to use Tasers on people resisting arrest, "so there was nothing wrong with using that Taser," Dwyer said.
Brett Elder 15 white male Bay City March 2009
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/03/family_of_bay_city_teen_killed.html
There's no reason for killing my boy. He didn't do nothing wrong," said Eugene Elder Sr., the father of Brett Elder, the 15-year-old who died during a confrontation with Bay City police. Elder conceded his 15-year-old son - Brett L. Elder - had been drinking alcohol Saturday night before police subdued him early Sunday morning with a Taser following a disturbance in a Bay City apartment.
"The officers had calmed Brett down and he was sitting on a couch, and then one officer said something to him, and Brett stood up like he was maybe going to lunge at the police," Hernden said. "And right then and there is when they put the handcuffs on him. They knocked him on the ground and that's when they Tasered him." Hernden said Brett Elder vomited "immediately" after police used the Taser.
Matthew Bolick 30 white male E Grd Rapids Nov 2009
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/10/family_of_man_who_died_after_r.html
Police were called Nov. 16, 2009, by Bolick’s family because he was suffering an “obvious psychotic episode.” His father told police that Bolick, 30, had “just freaked completely out” and crashed through a picture window. He was delusional and hearing voices, his family told police.
The lawsuit said Parker tried to apprehend Bolick, and told him: “I will tase you in a heartbeat.” “You run, I will shoot you.” “Hit me one more time. Hit me one more time.” Parker used his Taser when Bolick tried to flee, the lawsuit said. “Over a period of 10 minutes, defendant Parker activated his Taser 19 times, including a combination of probe firings directly into Matthew Bolick’s body as well as several ‘drive stuns,’ firings designed to be pain compliance measures,” Mills wrote in the lawsuit. “At least one of defendant Davis’ Taser shots occurred after Matthew Bolick had been subdued and was in handcuffs.”
Bolick’s family thinks the Taser played a role in his death. The medical examiner found no such proof, and determined he died of a rare case of excited delirium syndrome, or acute exhaustive mania.
Jesus Gillard 61 black male Bloomfield Hills Nov 2009
http://www.macombdaily.com/article/20091121/NEWS/311219975
A Detroit man is dead after being Tasered by police following a chase that started in Bloomfield Township and ended in Troy.
The Bloomfield Township Police Department began receiving calls about a white van driving erratically in the area of Square Lake Road and Woodward Avenue at 5:46 p.m. on Thursday.
"Further reports advised this vehicle was striking several other vehicles along with numerous construction barrels located in the area," Bloomfield Township police reported in a statement.
The report also states that the driver stopped temporarily at a gas station and there assaulted a man who tried to approach him.
When responding officers tried to stop the van, the driver struck the patrol cars with his vehicle. Officers continued pursuing the man southbound on Woodward Avenue when the man turned east on to Big Beaver Road. The driver was finally stopped after hitting another motorist just east of Adams Road. The people inside vehicles struck by the man were not injured.
After crashing into the other vehicle, the man got out of his van and began assaulting officers. "Officers used Tasers on the suspect, but this did not stop his violent behavior," the press release reads. It is believed the man may have been under the influence of an unknown substance, police reported.
"Officers were able to eventually handcuff the suspect, who then became unresponsive," reads the press release. "The officers at the scene immediately gave medical attention." Despite that, the man was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Stanley Jackson 31 black male Superior Twp. Aug 2010
http://www.annarbor.com/news/man-dies-after-being-tasered-in-superior-township/
A Belleville man who was Tasered during a drug bust at his mother’s Superior Township home Friday died less than two hours later at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, family members said. It's unclear what caused the death of Stanley Jackson Jr., a former high school running back with no known medical problems. An autopsy was planned for this afternoon, and Michigan State Police detectives were investigating.
A witness said he saw Stanley run inside his mother's Heather Drive home after two Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies and an undercover officer converged on the area about 4:45 p.m. Friday. What happened inside the house is unclear, but Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton said he has no indication excessive force was used.
Michael Ford 50 black male Livonia Aug 2010
http://voiceofdetroit.net/2010/09/14/taser-death-michael-ford-of-livonia-aug-26/
According to the issued statement, police were called to the 20000 block of Purlingbrook on a report of a disturbance about 11 p.m. Aug. 13. A man was playing loud music from his vehicle and nearly struck another car. An unidentified officer spoke to an intoxicated man, identified as Ford, who was told to go back into his apartment because the complainant was not located.
About two hours later, at 1 a.m. Aug. 14, Livonia Police were called again to the same place on another report of loud music in the parking lot. “This time he was holding what appeared to be two knives, one in each hand, he was yelling and approaching the scout car. The officer retreated and awaited a back-up officer. When that officer arrived they approached Mr. Ford and ordered him to the ground as they had reason to believe he may still be armed,” the police statement said.
When Ford refused to comply, an unidentified Livonia officer deployed the Taser. Ford fell and hit his head, police said.
Ford’s cousin Ewayne Harrell said Ford had more injuries than falling and hitting his head after being jolted by a Taser gun. “(The police) beat him up. He had a ruptured spleen, a cracked pelvis and cracks in the front and back of his head. I don’t see how you can get all that from a Taser,” he said.
(Commentary: Many Taser deaths are due to injuries sustained in a fall, after they were Tasered)
Donald Murray 39 white male Westland July 2011
http://www.danielromanolaw.com/Romano-News/Mom-questions-sons-death.shtml
In the midmorning of Saturday, July 30, Murray allegedly broke into the home of an elderly woman and attacked her. Police were called to the home and, in different police accounts, Murray is portrayed as an out-of-control subject who had to be restrained and eventually Tasered. "He continued to struggle by tightening his arm muscles and trying to pull his arms free from us," wrote an officer in a report on the incident that Brady says led to her son's death.
"Due to the man's level of resistance he was using to try and escape, and in compliance with department policy, (a police Sgt.) used his department-issued Taser on the man to stop the aggression and get him restrained," according to the written account.
Murray began experiencing labored breathing and later was administered CPR by one of the officers, according to police. He was taken to Garden City Hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Richard Kokenos 27 white male Warren Sept 2011
http://www.examiner.com/article/warren-man-s-taser-related-death-second-for-city-police-two-years
The aspiring hip hop artist was alone in his home late Friday night when he appeared to flip out from what family members think was a psychotic episode, possibly triggered by drugs. He burst out of his Kendall St home barefoot and began beating on the doors of neighboring houses.
A Kendall St neighbor said Kokenos was not intimidating and merely wanted to use his telephone. But by the time the man returned to his front door with a cell phone, Kokenos was gone.
The man seemed to deteriorate with each house he visited. The last home was around the corner and several houses down on Eureka. The occupant claimed that Kokenos was pounding on her doors and windows, and hurling his body against the siding of the house. She called 911.
The police arrived, arrested Kokenos on a home invasion charge, and put him in the back of a cruiser. Officially, the Warren police had no comment, but responding officers claim that they used a Taser on Kokenos when the man tried to break out of the squad car.
Finette has said that her son was just seeking help and should not have been arrested. No arrest, no Taser.
Statements of neighbors vary about the facts leading to use of the Taser, and Warren police investigating the incident will try to resolve the eyewitness accounts. Yet many neighbors expressed concern about use of the 'non-lethal' device.
Bradford T. Gibson 36 black male Isabella County Sept 2011
http://electronicvillage.blogspot.com/2011/09/taser-death-bradford-gibson-mt-pleasant.html
When told he had to leave the bar, Gibson at first did as he was instructed but then, when Paull arrived, "It was apparent to me at this time that Gibson was not going to leave the property as requested," the officer said in the report. "I then asked Gibson to take a seat next to a cement pillar. I asked Gibson to sit down multiple times before he eventually complied and sat down in front of the pillar." When Gibson stood again, Bliss told him he was under arrest for trespassing, and got his right hand cuffed, before Gibson began resisting, according to the report.
Police eventually got Gibson into the back seat of their patrol car. Still, Gibson continued to try to get out of the car, Bliss drive stunned him twice on the leg, which moved him backwards enough for officers to shut the doors, according to the report. Gibson died a few hours later while in police custody. Speculation is that the death was directly related to the Taser gun usage.
Bobby L Merrill Jr. 38 black male Saginaw. May 2012
http://www.abc12.com/story/21657841/saginaw-family-files-lawsuit-against-police-claiming-mans-taser-death-violated-his-civil-rights
On April 12, 2012, 38-year-old Bobby Merrill was tasered after he was seen running in and out of traffic, jumping on cars on Gilmore near Washington. An autopsy report says Merrill had alcohol and high levels of cocaine in his system when he died of cardiac arrest.
In approximately 2000, Taser International began to replace early Taser models up to the Air Taser with the M26 model and starting in 2003 by the X26. The electrical charge is different in these models so the medical reaction should differ.
In some cases, the role of the Taser deployment in the subsequent death is unclear. In some cases the person died very soon after the Taser application and in others they died minutes or hours later without other obvious causes of death.
John Thompson 44 white male Carrollton Twp. August 2003
http://www.minbcnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=308130
Became violent during a card game with friends. Police were called. They shocked him multiple times with a Taser. He was taken to jail where he struggled with officers. Later, while in an isolation cell, Johnson seemed unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital and later died. A coroner said Thompson's death was not a result of physical force but said the cause of death was unknown.
Charles Keiser 47 male Hartland Twp. Nov 2004
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-12-29-death-after-taser_x.htm
Keiser took a bulldozer from a road construction site and moved it onto a highway. When state police officers arrived, he was reportedly trying to start a backhoe and move it onto the highway. Keiser fled and police chased him into some woods. During a scuffle with the officers, Keiser reportedly grabbed one by the throat. Four sheriff's deputies arrived. Keiser was shocked three times with a Taser and stopped breathing at the scene.
Steven Hooker 21 male Kalamazoo Jan 2006
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/archive/index.php/t-236949.html
A 21-year-old man died Wednesday after swallowing more than 20 grams of powder cocaine to conceal it from police during a drug bust in Oshtemo Township, authorities said. Steven Hooker barricaded himself in the bathroom of his North Drake Road apartment at about 1:45 p.m. as members of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team were searching the apartment, police said. When officers entered the bathroom, Hooker threatened them with a kitchen knife, according to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Officers used a Taser, a type of stun gun, to subdue him. Hooker then began showing signs of a drug overdose, officers said. When questioned, he told officers he had swallowed more than 20 grams of powder cocaine, which has a street value of about $2,000, according to police. Hooker was taken by ambulance to Bronson Methodist Hospital, where he later died. An autopsy was to be performed today, Public Safety Chief Dan Weston said.
(Commentary: This case is listed in most reports of deaths after Taser deployment but if this description is correct, it would appear to be due to a drug overdose)
James Simons 35 male Lincoln Park Oct 2006
http://www.crimeshots.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3983&page=2
37-year-old James Simons died at Wyandotte Hospital not long after being tasered by Lincoln Park police officers. Chief Thomas Karnes said the officers were sent to the Indian Village Apartments when two people called 911. The first caller said Simons was drunk, the other said he was having hallucinations due to a diabetic episode. Karnes said Simons was so agitated he wouldn’t allow the officers to examine him.
"Our preliminary review of the incident shows the officers’ actions were measured and appropriate for the situation. Mr. Simons proceeded to kick wildly at the officers and grabbed an officer and was biting his leg. One of the officers was armed with a Taser. Several warnings were given that the Taser was going to be deployed," said Chief Karnes. Karnes said the officers stung Simons twice with the Taser, but family members said more excessive force was used.
Keith Kallstrom 56 male Milan Jan 2007
Robert Mitchell 16 black male Detroit April 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/28/michigan.taser.death/
Robert Mitchell died April 10 in an abandoned house in Warren. Warren police had pulled over Mitchell's cousin, Chris Davis, for having an expired license plate when Mitchell "jumped out and started running," Davis said. "I told him not to, but he was real scared," Davis told CNN. "He was petrified. He hopped out the car and started running."
Police followed Mitchell into an abandoned house about two blocks away. Officers tried to apprehend him once he was inside, but he resisted, Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer told CNN. "They ordered him several times not to resist, and he continued to resist," Dwyer said. "They had no alternative to use what they felt at the time was non-lethal force." The commissioner called Mitchell's death "a tragedy," but said police who watch someone run from them "can only assume he committed a crime or is wanted for a crime." The officers had been trained to use Tasers on people resisting arrest, "so there was nothing wrong with using that Taser," Dwyer said.
Brett Elder 15 white male Bay City March 2009
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/03/family_of_bay_city_teen_killed.html
There's no reason for killing my boy. He didn't do nothing wrong," said Eugene Elder Sr., the father of Brett Elder, the 15-year-old who died during a confrontation with Bay City police. Elder conceded his 15-year-old son - Brett L. Elder - had been drinking alcohol Saturday night before police subdued him early Sunday morning with a Taser following a disturbance in a Bay City apartment.
"The officers had calmed Brett down and he was sitting on a couch, and then one officer said something to him, and Brett stood up like he was maybe going to lunge at the police," Hernden said. "And right then and there is when they put the handcuffs on him. They knocked him on the ground and that's when they Tasered him." Hernden said Brett Elder vomited "immediately" after police used the Taser.
Matthew Bolick 30 white male E Grd Rapids Nov 2009
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/10/family_of_man_who_died_after_r.html
Police were called Nov. 16, 2009, by Bolick’s family because he was suffering an “obvious psychotic episode.” His father told police that Bolick, 30, had “just freaked completely out” and crashed through a picture window. He was delusional and hearing voices, his family told police.
The lawsuit said Parker tried to apprehend Bolick, and told him: “I will tase you in a heartbeat.” “You run, I will shoot you.” “Hit me one more time. Hit me one more time.” Parker used his Taser when Bolick tried to flee, the lawsuit said. “Over a period of 10 minutes, defendant Parker activated his Taser 19 times, including a combination of probe firings directly into Matthew Bolick’s body as well as several ‘drive stuns,’ firings designed to be pain compliance measures,” Mills wrote in the lawsuit. “At least one of defendant Davis’ Taser shots occurred after Matthew Bolick had been subdued and was in handcuffs.”
Bolick’s family thinks the Taser played a role in his death. The medical examiner found no such proof, and determined he died of a rare case of excited delirium syndrome, or acute exhaustive mania.
Jesus Gillard 61 black male Bloomfield Hills Nov 2009
http://www.macombdaily.com/article/20091121/NEWS/311219975
A Detroit man is dead after being Tasered by police following a chase that started in Bloomfield Township and ended in Troy.
The Bloomfield Township Police Department began receiving calls about a white van driving erratically in the area of Square Lake Road and Woodward Avenue at 5:46 p.m. on Thursday.
"Further reports advised this vehicle was striking several other vehicles along with numerous construction barrels located in the area," Bloomfield Township police reported in a statement.
The report also states that the driver stopped temporarily at a gas station and there assaulted a man who tried to approach him.
When responding officers tried to stop the van, the driver struck the patrol cars with his vehicle. Officers continued pursuing the man southbound on Woodward Avenue when the man turned east on to Big Beaver Road. The driver was finally stopped after hitting another motorist just east of Adams Road. The people inside vehicles struck by the man were not injured.
After crashing into the other vehicle, the man got out of his van and began assaulting officers. "Officers used Tasers on the suspect, but this did not stop his violent behavior," the press release reads. It is believed the man may have been under the influence of an unknown substance, police reported.
"Officers were able to eventually handcuff the suspect, who then became unresponsive," reads the press release. "The officers at the scene immediately gave medical attention." Despite that, the man was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Stanley Jackson 31 black male Superior Twp. Aug 2010
http://www.annarbor.com/news/man-dies-after-being-tasered-in-superior-township/
A Belleville man who was Tasered during a drug bust at his mother’s Superior Township home Friday died less than two hours later at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, family members said. It's unclear what caused the death of Stanley Jackson Jr., a former high school running back with no known medical problems. An autopsy was planned for this afternoon, and Michigan State Police detectives were investigating.
A witness said he saw Stanley run inside his mother's Heather Drive home after two Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies and an undercover officer converged on the area about 4:45 p.m. Friday. What happened inside the house is unclear, but Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton said he has no indication excessive force was used.
Michael Ford 50 black male Livonia Aug 2010
http://voiceofdetroit.net/2010/09/14/taser-death-michael-ford-of-livonia-aug-26/
According to the issued statement, police were called to the 20000 block of Purlingbrook on a report of a disturbance about 11 p.m. Aug. 13. A man was playing loud music from his vehicle and nearly struck another car. An unidentified officer spoke to an intoxicated man, identified as Ford, who was told to go back into his apartment because the complainant was not located.
About two hours later, at 1 a.m. Aug. 14, Livonia Police were called again to the same place on another report of loud music in the parking lot. “This time he was holding what appeared to be two knives, one in each hand, he was yelling and approaching the scout car. The officer retreated and awaited a back-up officer. When that officer arrived they approached Mr. Ford and ordered him to the ground as they had reason to believe he may still be armed,” the police statement said.
When Ford refused to comply, an unidentified Livonia officer deployed the Taser. Ford fell and hit his head, police said.
Ford’s cousin Ewayne Harrell said Ford had more injuries than falling and hitting his head after being jolted by a Taser gun. “(The police) beat him up. He had a ruptured spleen, a cracked pelvis and cracks in the front and back of his head. I don’t see how you can get all that from a Taser,” he said.
(Commentary: Many Taser deaths are due to injuries sustained in a fall, after they were Tasered)
Donald Murray 39 white male Westland July 2011
http://www.danielromanolaw.com/Romano-News/Mom-questions-sons-death.shtml
In the midmorning of Saturday, July 30, Murray allegedly broke into the home of an elderly woman and attacked her. Police were called to the home and, in different police accounts, Murray is portrayed as an out-of-control subject who had to be restrained and eventually Tasered. "He continued to struggle by tightening his arm muscles and trying to pull his arms free from us," wrote an officer in a report on the incident that Brady says led to her son's death.
"Due to the man's level of resistance he was using to try and escape, and in compliance with department policy, (a police Sgt.) used his department-issued Taser on the man to stop the aggression and get him restrained," according to the written account.
Murray began experiencing labored breathing and later was administered CPR by one of the officers, according to police. He was taken to Garden City Hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Richard Kokenos 27 white male Warren Sept 2011
http://www.examiner.com/article/warren-man-s-taser-related-death-second-for-city-police-two-years
The aspiring hip hop artist was alone in his home late Friday night when he appeared to flip out from what family members think was a psychotic episode, possibly triggered by drugs. He burst out of his Kendall St home barefoot and began beating on the doors of neighboring houses.
A Kendall St neighbor said Kokenos was not intimidating and merely wanted to use his telephone. But by the time the man returned to his front door with a cell phone, Kokenos was gone.
The man seemed to deteriorate with each house he visited. The last home was around the corner and several houses down on Eureka. The occupant claimed that Kokenos was pounding on her doors and windows, and hurling his body against the siding of the house. She called 911.
The police arrived, arrested Kokenos on a home invasion charge, and put him in the back of a cruiser. Officially, the Warren police had no comment, but responding officers claim that they used a Taser on Kokenos when the man tried to break out of the squad car.
Finette has said that her son was just seeking help and should not have been arrested. No arrest, no Taser.
Statements of neighbors vary about the facts leading to use of the Taser, and Warren police investigating the incident will try to resolve the eyewitness accounts. Yet many neighbors expressed concern about use of the 'non-lethal' device.
Bradford T. Gibson 36 black male Isabella County Sept 2011
http://electronicvillage.blogspot.com/2011/09/taser-death-bradford-gibson-mt-pleasant.html
When told he had to leave the bar, Gibson at first did as he was instructed but then, when Paull arrived, "It was apparent to me at this time that Gibson was not going to leave the property as requested," the officer said in the report. "I then asked Gibson to take a seat next to a cement pillar. I asked Gibson to sit down multiple times before he eventually complied and sat down in front of the pillar." When Gibson stood again, Bliss told him he was under arrest for trespassing, and got his right hand cuffed, before Gibson began resisting, according to the report.
Police eventually got Gibson into the back seat of their patrol car. Still, Gibson continued to try to get out of the car, Bliss drive stunned him twice on the leg, which moved him backwards enough for officers to shut the doors, according to the report. Gibson died a few hours later while in police custody. Speculation is that the death was directly related to the Taser gun usage.
Bobby L Merrill Jr. 38 black male Saginaw. May 2012
http://www.abc12.com/story/21657841/saginaw-family-files-lawsuit-against-police-claiming-mans-taser-death-violated-his-civil-rights
On April 12, 2012, 38-year-old Bobby Merrill was tasered after he was seen running in and out of traffic, jumping on cars on Gilmore near Washington. An autopsy report says Merrill had alcohol and high levels of cocaine in his system when he died of cardiac arrest.
RSS Feed
