Human rights group condemns use of Taser on teen

September 21, 2006
CBC News

Amnesty International is questioning the repeated use of a Taser gun on a 17-year-old boy by police officers at a house party in Hampton, N.B.

Amnesty spokesman Andy Buxton says nobody should be hit with the weapon, which can deliver up to 50,000 volts of electricity in one shot, especially vulnerable groups like children, teenagers and the elderly.

The international human rights group is calling for a suspension of the use of all Tasers by police officers.

"Typically you wouldn't shoot somebody 13 or 14 times, you'd only shoot them once," Buxton said. "It's important to understand, of course, that the police very rarely shoot people with their guns and unfortunately, they have this sort of tendency to pull out their Tasers and use them way more often … when they're out they tend to get used multiple times and we think that's excessive and abusive."

But New Brunswick RCMP officers are defending the use of a Taser on the teen, saying he was being combative with officers and needed to be subdued.

Two RCMP officers were called to a rowdy house party in Hampton, a town 30 kilometres east of Saint John, last Saturday night, where they found approximately 30 teenagers.

The officers said they tried to get the teens to calm down by giving them verbal warnings, but some of them refused.

RCMP Sgt. Terry Lee Kennedy says one of the teens was particularly belligerent, and officers had to use the stun gun to bring him under control.

"The members were trying to calm down the teens, but weren't able, through verbal commands, to calm down the youth," Kennedy said. "They ended up having to arrest four teenaged boys who appeared to be out of control. One teenage boy was combative and resistant, and the members, to effectively and safely arrest him, had to use a directed energy weapon to get him under control."


The 17-year-old's back and belly are covered in burns from the Taser. The boy has seven Taser marks on his lower back, and approximately six more on the front of his body, even on his groin area. He can't be identified, but told CBC the incident was terrifying.

"I was pretty scared," he said. "I didn't know how dangerous this thing was, how much of a risk it could be. I didn't know what they were trying to do. I was down on the ground for a while and after you've been hit with that thing a few times, you're not thinking too straight."

Carley Nichols was at the house party and witnessed the exchange between the boys and the police. She says the Taser wasn't necessary because her friend was not resisting arrest.

"It went on for like 20 minutes. They kept telling him to get on his back but every time he tried to turn, they'd keep Tasering him. It was just horrible," she said.

RCMP Cpl. Gary Fournier is reviewing the incident and says the Taser was used on what is called the "touch-stun" mode.

"The Taser can be deployed in two modes," said Fournier, "one in which it shoots two prongs that go into the individual …. The other mode is a touch-stun mode, which simply means the weapon itself is pressed against the person that it's being deployed against."

Fournier said the Taser delivers a big jolt, but it doesn't hurt as much as being struck by a police baton.

The boy who was Tasered and three other teens were taken into custody and kept overnight. Police say the boys could be charged with mischief and obstructing the police.

They're expected to make an appearance in court at a later date.