434+ DEAD AFTER TASER USE
UPDATE - July 1, 2009
The total number of people on this list who died after they were tasered has risen dramatically by 18, from a total of 415 yesterday to a revised total of 433 today. This does not mean that 18 people were tasered and died overnight. It is just that I have finally had an opportunity to include the names on our list which have been sent to me by other people.
In particular, I would like to thank "Kate" for her contributions. You can see Kate's (and other people's) additions to the list in the comments section below. While our list has always shown the first taser victim to be David Flores, 37, Fairfield, California (September 28, 1999), Kate unearthed three earlier deaths and several others that we inadvertently missed.
It should be noted that, over the years, the number of deaths related to the taser by Amnesty International has consistently been lower than my total. The latest Amnesty International figure I have seen is a conservative 357, with 50 of those identified as having been caused by the taser. I have contacted Amnesty International, with a request that we compare our numbers to determine whether we can arrive at the same total.
April 6, 2008
What follows are the names (where known), dates and locations of all North Americans who have died after they were shocked with taser weapons by law enforcement officials.
As far as I know, this list does not exist anywhere else in the world.
For the most part, the list has been generated from media accounts, with the first 167 names documented by reporter Robert Anglen of the Arizona Republic newspaper.
Since late December 2005, Patti Gillman (owner of this website, TNT - Truth ... Not Tasers) and Cameron Ward have continued to record the names of those who have died after they were tasered.
For a list of Canadians who have been tasered to death, please see DEATHS IN CANADA on the right-hand side of this page.
1. April 11 1985, Cornelius Garland Smith, 35, Los Angeles, California
2. March 9 1993, Michael Bryant, 35, Los Angeles, California
3. June 1, 1996: Scott Norberg, 32, Maricopa County, Arizona
4. September 28, 1999: David Flores, 37, Fairfield, California
5. May 14, 2000: Enrique Juarez Ochoa, 34, Bakersfield, California
6. June 17, 2001: Mark Burkett, 18, Gainesville, Florida
7. December 15, 2001: Hannah Rogers-Grippi, 6 months fetus, Chula Vista, California
8. December 17, 2001: Marvin Hendrix, 27, Hamilton, Ohio
9. December 21, 2001: Steven Vasquez, 40, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
10. January 27, 2002: Vincent Delostia, 31, Hollywood, Florida
11. February 12, 2002: Anthony Spencer, 35, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
12. March 27, 2002: Henry Canady, 46, Hilliard, Florida
13. May 17, 2002: Richard Baralla, 36, Pueblo, Colorado
14. June 10, 2002: Eddie Alvarado, 32, Los Angeles, California
15. June 15, 2002: Jason Nichols, 21, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
16. June 28, 2002: Clever Craig, 46, Mobile, Alabama
17. June 27, 2002: Fermin Rincon, 24, Fontana, California
18. June 2002: Unidentified male, 39, Phoenix, Arizona
19. July 19, 2002: Johnny Lozoya, Gardena, California
20. July 19, 2002: Gordon Jones, 37, Windermere, Florida
21. September 1, 2002: Frederick Webber, 44, Orange City, Florida
22. November 7, 2002: Stephen Edwards, 59, Shelton, Washington
23. March 16, 2003: Unidentified male, 31, Albuquerque, New Mexico
24. April 16, 2003: Corey Calvin Clark, 33, Amarillo, Texas
25. April 19, 2003: Terrence Hanna, 51, Burnaby, British Columbia
26. May 10, 2003: Joshua Hollander, 22, Normal Heights, California
27. June 9, 2003: Timothy Sleet, 44, Springfield Missouri
28. July 22, 2003: Clayton Willey, 33, Prince George, British Columbia
29. August 4, 2003: Troy Nowell, 51, Amarillo, Texas
30. August 8, 2003: John Thompson, 45, Carrollton Township, Michigan
31. August 17, 2003: Gordon Rauch, 39, Citrus Heights, California
32. September 24, 2003: Ray Austin, 25, Gwinnett, Georgia
33. September 29, 2003: Glenn Leyba, 37, Glendale, Colorado
34. September , 2003: Clark Whitehouse, 34, Whitehorse, Yukon
35. October 7, 2003: Roman Pierson, 40, Brea, California
36. October 11, 2003: Dennis Hammond, 31, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
37. October 21, 2003: Louis Morris, 50, Orlando, Florida
38. November 6, 2003: James Borden, 47, Monroe County, Indiana
39. November 10, 2003: Michael Johnson, 32, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
40. November 11, 2003: Kerry O’Brien, 31, Pembroke Pines, Florida
41. December 9, 2003: Curtis Lawson, 40, Unadilla, Georgia
42. December 9, 2003: Lewis King, 39, St. Augustine, Florida
43. February 4, 2004: David Glowczenski, 35, Southampton Village, New York
44. February 12, 2004: Raymond Siegler, 40, Minneapolis, Minnesota
45. February 21, 2004: Curt Rostengale, 44, Silverdale, Washington
46. February 21, 2004: William Lomax, 26, Las Vegas, Nevada
47. March 23, 2004: Perry Ronald, 28, Edmonton, Alberta
48. March 28, 2004: Terry Williams, 45, Madison, Illinois
49. April 1, 2004: Phillip LaBlanc, 36, Los Angeles, California
50. April 16, 2004: Melvin Samuel, 28, Savannah, Georgia
51. April 18, 2004: Alfredo Diaz, 29, Orange County, Florida
52. April 27, 2004: Eric Wolle, 45, Washington Grove, Maryland
53. May 1, 2004: Roman Andreichikov, Vancouver, British Columbia
54. May 13, 2004: Peter Lamonday, 38, London, Ontario
55. May 22, 2004: Henry Lattarulo, 40, Hillsborough, County Florida
56. May 27, 2004: Frederick Williams, 31, Lawrenceville, Georgia
57. May 30, 2004: Darryl Smith, 46, Atlanta, Georgia
58. May 31, 2004: Anthony Oliver, 42, Orlando, Florida
59. June 4, 2004: Jerry Pickens, 55, Bridge City, Louisiana
60. June 9, 2004: James Cobb, 42, St. Paul, Minnesota
61. June 9, 2004: Jacob Lair, 26, Sparks, Nevada
62. June 16, 2004: Abel Ortega Perez, 36, Austin, Texas
63. June 23, 2004: Robert Bagnell, 44, Vancouver, British Columbia
64. June 24, 2004: Kris Lieberman, 32, Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania
65. June, 2004: Bernard Christmas, 36, Dayton, Ohio
66. July 3, 2004: Demetrius Tillman Nelson, 45, Okaloosa County, Florida
67. July 11, 2004: Willie Smith, 48, Auburn, Washington
68. July 17, 2004: Jerry Knight, 29, Mississauga, Ontario
69. July 23, 2004: Milton Salazar, 29, Mesa Arizona
70. August 2, 2004: Keith Tucker, 47, Las Vegas, Nevada
71. August 8, 2004: Samuel Truscott, 43, Kingston, Ontario
72. August 11, 2004: Ernest Blackwell, 29, St. Louis, Missouri
73. August 11, 2004: David Riley, 41, Joplin, Missouri
74. August 13, 2004: Anthony Lee McDonald, 46, Harrisburg, North Carolina
75. August 16, 2004: William Teasley, 31, Anderson, South Carolina
76. August 19, 2004: Richard Karlo, 44, Denver, Colorado
77. August 20, 2004: Michael Sanders, 40, Fresno, California
78. August 24, 2004: Lawrence Davis, 27, Phoenix, Arizona
79. August 27, 2004: Jason Yeagley, 32, Winter Haven, Florida
80. August 29, 2004: Michael Rosa, 38, Del Rey Oaks, California
81. September 12, 2004: Samuel Wakefield, 22, Rio Vista, Texas
82. September 15, 2004: Andrew Washington, 21, Vallejo, California
83. September 20, 2004: Jon Merkle, 40, Miami, Florida
84. October 4, 2004: Dwayne Dunn, 33, Lafayette, Louisiana
85. November 2, 2004: Greshmond Gray, 25, LaGrange, Georgia
86. November 2, 2004: Robert Guerrero, 21, Fort Worth, Texas
87. November 7, 2004: Keith Raymond Drum, Clearlake, Califormnia
88. November 8, 2004: Ricardo Zaragoza, 40, Elk Grove, California
89. November 25, 2004: Charles Keiser, 47, Hartland Township, Michigan
90. November 27, 2004: Byron Black, 39, Lee County, Florida
91. December 4, 2004: Patrick Fleming, 35, Metairie, Louisiana
92. December 15, 2004: Kevin Downing, 36, Hollywood, Florida
93. December 17, 2004: Douglas Meldrum, 37, Wasatch County, Utah
94. December 17, 2004: Lyle Nelson, 35, Columbia, Illinois
95. December 23, 2004: Timothy Bolander, 31, Delray Beach, Florida
96. December 23, 2004: Ronnie Pino, 31, Sacramento, California
97. December 28, 2004: Christopher Hernandez, 19, Naples, Florida
98. December 29, 2004: Jeanne Hamilton, 46, Palmdale, California
99. December 30, 2004: David Cooper, 40, Marion County, Indiana
100. January 2, 2005: Gregory Saulsbury, 30, Pacifica, California
101. January 5, 2005: Dennis Hyde, 30, Akron, Ohio
102. January 7, 2006: Carlos Claros Castro, 28, Davidson City, North Carolina
103. January 8, 2005: Carl Trotter, 33, Pensacola, Florida
104. January 10, 2005, Jerry Moreno, 33, Los Angeles, California
105. January 28, 2005: James Edward Hudson, 33, Chickasha, Oklahoma
106. January 31, 2005: Jeffrey Turner, 41, Lucas County, Ohio
107. February 10, 2005: Ronald Alan Hasse, 54, Chicago, Illinois
108. February 12, 2005: Robert Camba, 45, San Diego, California
109. February 18, 2005: Joel Don Casey, 52, Houston, Texas
110. February 20, 2005: Robert Heston, 40, Salinas, California
111. March 3, 2005: Shirley Andrews, 38, Cincinnati, Ohio
112. March 6, 2005: Willie Towns, 30, Deland, Florida
113. March 12, 2005: Milton Woolfolk, 39, Lake City, Florida
114. March 17, 2005: Mark Young, 25, Indianapolis, Indiana
115. April 3, 2005: James Wathan Jr., 32, Delhi, California
116. April 3, 2005: Eric Hammock, 43, Fort Worth, Texas
117. April 8, 2005: Ricky Barber, 46, Carter County, Oklahoma
118. April 22, 2005: John Cox, 39, Bellport, New York
119. April 24 2005: Jesse Colter, 31, Phoenix, Arizona
120. May 3, 2005: Keith Graff, 24, Phoenix, Arizona
121. May 5, 2005: Kevin Geldart, 34, Moncton, New Brunswick
122. May 6, 2005: Stanley Wilson, 44, Miami, Florida
123. May 6, 2005: Lawrence Berry, 33, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
124. May 13, 2005: Vernon Young, 31, Union Township, Ohio
125. May 17, 2005: Leroy Pierson, Rancho Cucamonga, California
126. May 20, 2005: Randy Martinez, 40, Albuquerque, New Mexico
127. May 23, 2005: Lee Marvin Kimmel, 38, Reading, Pennsylvania
128. May 23, 2005: Richard Alverado, 38, Tustin, California
129. May 26, 2005: Walter Lamont Seats, 23, Nashville, Tennessee
130. May 28, 2005: Richard T. Holcomb, 18, Akron, Ohio
131. May 28, 2005: Nazario J. Solorio, 38, Escondido, California
132. June 4, 2005: Ravan Conston, 33, Sacramento, California
133. June 7, 2005: Russell Walker, 47, Las Vegas, Nevada
134. June 11, 2005: Horace Owens, 48, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
135. June 13, 2005: Michael Anthony Edwards, 32, Palatka, Florida
136. June 13, 2005: Shawn Pirolozzi, 30, Canton, Ohio
137. June 14, 2005: Robert Earl Williams, 62, Waco, Texas
138. June 24, 2005: Carolyn Daniels, 25, Fort Worth, Texas
139. June 24, 2005: Melinda Kaye Neal, 33, Whitfield County, Georgia
140. June 29, 2005: Pharoah Knight, 33, Miami, Florida
141. June 30, 2005: Gurmeet Sandhu, 41, Surrey, B.C.
142. July 1, 2005: James Foldi, 39, Beamsville, Ont.
143. July 7, 2005: Rocky Brison, 41, Birmingham, Alabama
144. July 12, 2005: Kevin Omas, 17, Euless, Texas
145. July 15, 2005: Ernesto Valdez, 37, Phoenix, Arizona
146. July 15, 2005: Paul Sheldon Saulnier, 42, Digby, Nova Scotia
147. July 15, 2005: Otis G. Thrasher, 42, Butte, Montana
148. July 17, 2005: Michael Leon Critchfield, 40, West Palm Beach, Florida
149. July 18, 2005: Carlos Casillas Fernandez, 31, Santa Rosa, California
150. July 23, 2005: Maury Cunningham, 29, Lancaster, South Carolina
151. July 27, 2005: Terrence L. Thomas, 35, Rockville Centre, New York
152. August 1, 2005: Brian Patrick O’Neal, San Jose, California
153. August 3, 2005: Eric Mahoney, 33, Fremont, California
154. August 4, 2005: Dwayne Zachary, 44, Sacramento, California
155. August 5, 2005: Olsen Ogoddide, 38, Glendale, Arizona
156. August 8, 2005: Unidentified male, 47, Phoenix, Arizona
157. August 26, 2005: Shawn Norman, 40, Laurelville, Ohio
158. August 27, 2005: Brian Lichtenstein, 31, Stuart, Florida
159. September 18, 2005: David Anthony Cross, 44, Santa Cruz, California
160. September 22, 2005: Timothy Michael Torres, 24, Sacramento, California
161. September 24, 2005: Patrick Aaron Lee, 21, Nashville, Tennessee
162. September 26, 2005: Michael Clark, 33, Austin, Texas
163. October 13, 2005: Steven Cunningham, 45, Fort Myers, Florida
164. October 20, 2005: Jose Perez, 33, San Leandro, California
165. October 25, 2005: Timothy Mathis, 35, Loveland, Colorado
166. November 1, 2005: Miguel Serrano, 35, New Britain, Connecticut
167. November 13, 2005: Josh Brown, 23, Lafayette, Louisiana
168. November 17, 2005: Jose Angel Rios, 38, San Jose, California
169. November 20, 2005: Hansel Cunningham, 30, Des Plaines, Illinois
170. November 26, 2005: Tracy Rene Shippy, 35, Fort Meyers, Florida
171. November 30, 2005: Kevin Dewayne Wright, 39, Kelso, Washington
172. December 1, 2005: Jeffrey Earnhardt, 47, Orlando, Florida
173. December 7, 2005: Michael Tolosko, 31, Sonoma, California
174. December 17, 2005: Howard Starr, 32, Florence, South Carolina
175. December 24, 2005: Alesandro Fiacco, 33, Edmonton, Alberta
176. December 29, 2005: David Moss, 26, Omaha, Nebraska
177. January 3, 2006: Roberto Gonzalez, 34, Waukegan, Illinois
178. January 5, 2006: Matthew Dunlevy, 25, Laguna Beach, California
179. January 13, 2006: Daryl Dwayne Kelley, 29, Houston, Texas
180. January 16, 2006: Shmekia Lewis (female), 24, Beaumont, Texas
181. January 22, 2006: Nick Ryan Hanson, 24, Ashland, Oregon
182. January 25, 2006: Murray Bush, Metairie, Louisiana
183. January 27, 2006: Jorge Luis Trujillo, San Jose, California
184. January 28, 2006: Karl W. Marshall, 32, Kansas City, Missouri
185. January 29, 2006 Benites Sichero, 39, Spokane County, Washington
186. January 31, 2006: Jaime Coronel, Castroville, California
187. February 6, 2006: Jessie Williams Jr., 40, Harrison County, Mississippi
188. February 13, 2006: Darval Smith, New Orleans, Louisiana
189. February 19, 2006: Gary Bartley, 36, Mandeville, Louisiana
190. February 24, 2006: Samuel Hair, 48, Fort Pierce, Florida
191. March 4, 2006: Melvin Anthony Jordan, 27, Norman, Oklahoma
192. March 8, 2006: Robert R. Hamilton, 42, St. Augustine, Florida
193. March 18, 2006: Otto Zehm, 35, Spokane, Washington
194. March 18, 2006, Cedric Davis, 26, Merced County, California
195. March 20, 2006: Timothy Grant, 46, Portland, Oregon
196. March 24, 2006: Theodore Rosenberry, 35, Hagerstown, Maryland
197. April 5, 2006: Thomas Clint Tipton, 34, Clearwater, Florida
198. April 15, 2006: Nick Mamino Jr., 41, St. Louis, Missouri
199. April 16, 2006: Billy Ray Cook, 39, Dublin, North Carolina
200. April 16, 2006: Juan Manuel Nunez III, 27, Lubbock, Texas
201. April 18, 2006: Richard McKinnon, 52, Cumberland County, North Carolina
202. April 21, 2006: Alvin Itula, 35, Salt Lake City, Utah
203. April 24, 2006: Jose Romero, 23, Dallas, Texas
204. April 24, 2006: Emily Marie Delafield, 56, Green Cove Springs, Florida
205. May 1, 2006: Jeremy Davis, 24, Bellmead, Texas
206. May 7, 2006: Kenneth Cleveland, 63, Ashtabula, Ohio
207. May 25, 2006: Brian Davis, 43, Los Angeles, California
208. June 4, 2006: Felipe Herrera, 48, Las Vegas, Nevada
209. June 13, 2006: Jerry Preyer, 43, Pensacola, Florida
210. June 18, 2006: Jason Troy Dockery, 31, Coolville, Tennessee
211. June 21, 2006: Kenneth Eagleton, 43, Crosby, Texas
212. June 21, 2006: Joseph Stockdale, 26, Indianapolis, Indiana
213. June 24, 2006: John Martinez, San Jose, California
214. July 3, 2006: Jermail Williams, 32, South Bend, Indiana
215. July 7, 2006: Michael Deon Babers, 26, Shreveport, Louisiana
216. July 8, 2006: Christopher Tull, 36, Cincinnati, Ohio
217. July 9, 2006: Nickolos Cyrus, 29, Mukwonago, Wisconsin
218. July 11, 2006: Jesus Negron, 29, New Britain, Connecticut
219. July 20, 2006: Mark McCullaugh, 28, Akron, Ohio
220. July 23, 2006: Shannon Johnson, 37, Pittsboro, North Carolina
221. August 2, 2006: Anthony Jones, 39, Merced, California
222. August 4, 2006: Ryan Michael Wilson, 22, Lafayette, Colorado
223. August 8, 2006: Curry McCrimmon, 26, Melbourne, Florida
224. August 8, 2006: James Nunez, 27, Santa Ana, California
225. August 9, 2006: Glen Thomas, 33, Wabasso, Florida
226. August 17, 2006: Raul Gallegos-Reyes, 34, Centennial, Colorado
227. August 21, 2006: Timothy Picard, 41, Woonsocket, Rhode Island
228. August 23, 2006: Noah Lopez,25, Fort Worth, Texas
229. August 30, 2006: Jason Doan, 28, Red Deer, Alberta
230. September 1, 2006: Juan Soto, Jr., 39, Liberal, Kansas
231. September 4, 2006, Jesus Mejia, 33, Los Angeles, California
232. September 5, 2006: Larry Noles, 52, Louisville, Kentucky
233. September 8, 2006: Perry Simmons, 35, Montgomery, Alabama
234. September 13, 2006: Laborian Simmons, 24, Marion County, Florida
235. September 17, 2006: Marcus Roach-Burris, 42, Menasha, Wisconsin
236. September 17, 2006: James Philip Chasse Jr., 42, Portland, Oregon
237. September 29, 2006: Joseph Kinney, 36, Madison Twp., Ohio
238. September 30, 2006: Vardan Kasilyan, 29, Las Vegas, Nevada
239. September 30, 2006: John David Johnson III, 27, Orange Park, Florida
240. October 1, 2006: Kip Darrell Black, 38, North Charleston, South Carolina
241. October 5, 2006: Michael Templeton, 50, Jonesboro, Arkansas
242. October 6, 2006: Herman Carroll, 31, Houston, Texas
243. October 9, 2006: James Simons, 35, Lincoln Park, Michigan
244. October 19, 2006: James Lewis, 37, Las Vegas, Nevada
245. October 19, 2006: Nicholas Brown, Milford, Connecticut
246. October 22, 2006: Jordan Case, 20, Tualatin, Oregon
247. October 22, 2006: Eddie Charles Ham Jr., 30, Montgomery, Alabama
248. October 23, 2006: Michael Todd Gleim, 40, Milford, Ohio
249. October 29, 2006: Roger Holyfield, 17, Jerseyville, Illinois
250. October 30, 2006: Jeremy Foos, 29, Columbus, Ohio
251. November 9, 2006: William Jobe, 40, Federal Way, Washington
252. November 14, 2006: Timothy Wayne Newton, 43, Rocky Mount, North Carolina
253. November 14, 2006: Darren Faulkner, 41, Southaven, Mississippi
254. December 3, 2006: Briant K. Parks, 39, Columbus, Ohio
255. December 17, 2006: Terrill Enard, 29, Lafayette, Louisiana
256. December 30, 2006: Daniel Walter Quick, 43, Magalia, California
???. January 2007: James Barber, 25, Ottawa, Ontario
257. January 5, 2007: Calvin Thompson, 42, Gastonia, North Carolina
258. January 6, 2007: Douglas John Ilten, 45, Fort Pierce, Florida
259. January 7, 2007: Blondel Lassegue, 38, Queen’s, New York
260. January 9, 2007: Pete Carlos Madrid, 44, Fresno, California
261. January 17, 2007: Keith Kallstrom, 56, Milan, Michigan
262. January 18, 2007: Andrew J. Athetis, 18, Gilbert, Arizona
263. January 29, 2007: Michael Keohan, 45, Huntingdon Park, California
264. January 30, 2007: Christopher L. McCargo, 43, Dayton, Ohio
265. February 11, 2007: Stephen Krohn, 44, Mesa, Arizona
266. February 21, 2007: Martin Mendoza, 43, Oceanside, California
267. March 13, 2007: Muszack Nazaire, 24, East Naples, Florida
268. March 15, 2007: Randy Buckey, 42, Marion, Ohio
269. March 16, 2007: Ryan Lee Myers, 40, Essex, Maryland
270. March 17, 2007: David Brown, 47, Park Forest, Illinois
271. March 17, 2007: Unidentified male, West Covina, CA
272. March 23, 2007: Sergio Galvan, 35, San Antonio, Texas
273. April 10, 2007: Eugene Donjuall Gilliam, 22, Prattville, Alabama
274. April 11, 2007: Roberto Perez, 25, Indio, California
275. April 14, 2007: Unidentified male, Phoenix, Arizona
276. April 22, 2007: David Mills, 26, Hamden, Connecticut
277. April 23, 2007: Unidentified male, Houston, Texas
278. April 24, 2007: Louis Jermaine Broomfield, 35, Charleston, South Carolina
279. April 24, 2007: Walter Heller, 55, Santa Rosa, California
280. April 24, 2007: Uywanda Peterson, 43, Baltimore, Maryland
281. April 30, 2007: Roy Hamner, 59, Pearl, Mississippi
282. May 5, 2007: Daniel Bradley Young, 33, Seminole, Florida
283. May 7, 2007: Robert A. Keske, 45, Seminole, Florida
284. May 12, 2007: Trent A. Yohe, 37, Spokane, Washington
285. May 12, 2007: Jeffry Young, 54, Bremerton, Washington
286. May 14, 2007: Terrill Heath, 31, Baltimore, Maryland
287. May 15, 2007: Chance W. Shrum, 20 years old, Iola, Kansas
288. May 16, 2007: Patrick D. Hagans, 42, Valleyview, Ohio
289. May 19, 2007: Milisha Thompson, 35, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
290. May 22, 2007: Kevin DeWayne Hill, 39, Knoxville, Tennessee
291. May 23, 2007: Raymundo Guerrerro Garcia, 33, Simi Valley, California
292. May 25, 2007: Steve Salinas, 47, San Jose, California
293. May 26, 2007: Marcus D. Skinner, 22, Seat Pleasant, Maryland
294. May 29, 2007: Doyle Moniki Jackson, 34, Benton Harbor, Indiana
295. May 29, 2007: Ramel Henderson, 51, San Diego, California
296. June 19, 2007: Juan Flores Lopez, 47, San Angelo, Texas
297. July 2, 2007: Richard Baisner, 36, Pasadena, California
298. July 8, 2007: Nathaniel Cobbs Jr., 25, Newburgh, New York
299. July 16, 2007: Albert Romero, 47, Denver, Colorado
300. July 20, 2007: Jermaine Thompson, 36, Kansas City, Missouri
301. July 25, 2007: Carlos Rodriguez, 27, Atlanta, Georgia
302. July 29, 2007: Ronald Marquez, 49, Phoenix, Arizona
303. August 2, 2007: Clyde Patrick, 44, Birmingham, Alabama
304. August 4, 2007: Gefery Johnston, 42, Chicago, Illinois
305. August 4, 2007: Stephen Spears, 49, Detroit, Michigan
306. August 4, 2007: James Barnes, 21, Omaha, Nebraska
307. August 11, 2007: Craig Berdine, 37, Fremont, Ohio
308. August 14, 2007: Rafael Forbes, 21, Jackson, Mississippi
309. August 15, 2007: James Wells, 43, Waterford, California (no. 275)
310. August 18, 2007: Thomas Campbell, 50, Baltimore, Maryland
311. August 23, 2007: Chad Cekas, 27, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
312. August 26, 2007: Glenn Shipman Jr., 44, Portland, Oregon
313. September 3, 2007: Earl Guerrant, 47, Golf Manor, Ohio
314. September 3, 2007: Charles Gordon, 26, Vallejo, California
315. September 9, 2007: Jorge Renteria Terrquiz, 25, Anaheim, California
316. September 20, 2007: Claudio Castagnetta, 32, Quebec City, Quebec
317. October 1, 2007: Samuel Baker, 59, Quitman, Georgia
318. October 1, 2007: Keith White, 44, Kansas City, Kansas
319. October 12, 2007: Michael Patrick Lass, 28, Orange County, California
320. October 14, 2007: Robert Dziekanski, 40, Richmond, BC
321. October 14, 2007: Donald Clark Grant, 54, Asheville, North Carolina
322. October 17, 2007: Quilem Registre, 39, Montreal, Quebec
323. November 1, 2007: Seldon Deshotels, 56, Lake Charles, Louisiana
324. November 2, 2007: Stefan McMinn, 44, Hendersonville, North Carolina
325. November 7, 2007: Roger Brown, 40, Miami, Florida
326. November 16, 2007: Paul Carlock, 57, Springfield, Illinois
327. November 18, 2007: Jesse Saenz, 20, Raton, New Mexico
328. November 18, 2007: Jarrel Gray, 20, Frederick, Maryland
329. November 18, 2007: Christian Allen, 21, Springfield, Florida
330. November 20, 2007: Conrad Lowman, Jacksonville, Florida
331. November 22, 2007: Howard Hyde, 45, Halifax, Nova Scotia
332. November 24, 2007: Robert Knipstrom, 36, Chilliwack, British Columbia
333. November 29, 2007: Ashley R. Stephens, 28, Ocala, Florida
334. November 30, 2007: Cesar Silva, 32, Los Angeles, California
335. December 10, 2007: Leroy Patterson Jr., 41, Walton County, Georgia
336. January 2, 2008: Brandon Smiley, 27, Mobile, Alabama
337. January 5, 2008: Ryan Rich, 33, Las Vegas, Nevada
338. January 9, 2008: Otis C. Anderson, 36, Fayetteville, North Carolina
339. January 11, 2008: Xavier Jones, 29, Coral Gables, Florida
340. January 15, 2008: Mark Backlund, 29, New Brighton, Minnesota
341. January 17, 2008: Baron Pikes, 21, Winnfield, Louisiana
342. January 18, 2008: Daniel Hanrahan, 44, Staten Island, New York
343. February 3, 2008: Louis Cryer, 32, Port Arthur, Texas
344. February 3, 2008: Joseph Davis, 50, Brandon, Mississippi
345. February 7, 2008: Richard Earl Abston, 53, Merced, California
346. February 19, 2008: Garrett Sean Farn, 41, Bakersfield, California
347. February 26, 2008: Barron Harvey Davis, 44, Mayes County, Oklahoma
348. March 4, 2008: Christopher Jackson, 37, Clay, New York
349. March 6, 2008: Javier Aguilar, 46, Roswell, New Mexica
350. March 18, 2008: Roberto Gonzalez, 24, Chicago, Illinois
351. March 20, 2008: Darryl Wayne Turner, 17, Charlotte, North Carolina
352. March 21, 2008: James Garland, 41, Deerfield Beach, Florida
353. March 29, 2008: Henry Bryant, 35, Indianapolis, Indiana
354. March 30, 2008: Walter Edward Haake Jr., 59, Topeka, Kansas
355. April 2, 2008: Jason Jesus Gomez, 35, Santa Ana, California
356. April 6, 2008: Yvelt Occean, 31, New Kent County, Virginia
357. April 22, 2008: Uriah Samson Dach, 26, Richmond, California
358. April 24, 2008: Kevin Piskura, 24, Cincinnati, Ohio
359. April 24, 2008: Dewayne Chatt, 39, Memphis, Tennessee
360. April 27, 2008: Paul Thompson, 24, Greensboro, North Carolina
361. April 28, 2008: Jermaine Ward, 28, Jackson, Tennessee
362. May 4, 2008: Joe Kubat, 21, St. Paul, Minnesota
363. May 6, 2008: James S. Wilson, 22, Alton, Missouri
364. May 28, 2008: Ricardo Manuel Abrahams, 44, Woodland, California
365. May 31, 2008: Robert Ingram, 27, Raceland, Louisiana
366. June 5, 2008: Willie Maye, 43, Birmingham, Alabama
367. June 6, 2008: Donovan Graham, 39, Meriden, Connecticut
368. June 8, 2008: Quintrell T. Brannon, 25, Vincennes, Indiana
369. June 9, 2008: Tony Curtis Bradway, 26, Brooklyn, New York
370. June 23, 2008: Jeffrey Marreel, 36, Norfolk, Ontario
371. June 24, 2008: Ernest Graves, 26, Rockford, Illinois
372. June 27, 2008: Nicholas Cody, 27, Dothan, Alabama
373. July 2, 2008: Isaac Bass, 34, Louisville, Kentucky
374. July 4, 2008: Othello Pierre, 23, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
375. July 8, 2008: Samuel DeBoise, 29, St. Louis, Missouri
376. July 8, 2008: Carlos Vargas, 42, San Bernardino, California
377. July 14, 2008: Marion Wilson Jr., 52, Houston, Texas
378. July 14, 2008: Deshoun Keyon Torrence, 18, Long Beach, California
379. July 22, 2008: Michael Langan, 17, Winnipeg, Manitoba
380. July 23, 2008: Richard Smith, 46, Dallas, Texas
381. July 26, 2008: Anthony Davidson, Statesville, 29, North Carolina
382. August 4, 2008: Jerry Jones, 45, Beaumont, Texas
383. August 4, 2008: Andre Thomas, 37, Swissvale, Pennsylvania
384. August 2, 2008: Lawrence Rosenthal, 54, Hemet, California
385. August 10, 2008: Kiethedric Hines, 31, Rockford, Illinois
386. August 15, 2008: Kenneth Oliver, 45, Miami, Florida
387. August 25, 2008: Ronald Adkisson, 59, Creston, Iowa
388. August 29, 2008: Stanley James Harlan, 23, Moberly, Missouri
389. September 3, 2008: Prince Swayzer, 38, San Jose, California
390. September 3, 2008: Andy Tran, 32, Garden Grove, California
391. September 11, 2008: Roney Wilson, 46, Hillsborough, Florida
392. September 17, 2008: Sean Reilly, 42, Mississauga, Ontario
393. September 19, 2008: Gabriel Bitterman, 23, Lincoln, Nebraska
394. September 25, 2008: Iman Morales, 35, New York, New York
395. September 30, 2008: Frank Frachette, 49, Langley, BC
396. October 1, 2008: Jose Anibal Amaro, 45, Orange County, Florida
397. October 18, 2008: Homer Taylor, 39, Chicago, Illinois
398. October 29, 2008: Trevor Grimolfson, 38, Edmonton, Alberta
399. October 31, 2008: Marlon Oliver Acevedo, 35, Riverside, California
400. November 2, 2008: Gordon Walker Bowe, 30, Calgary, Alberta
401. November 3, 2008: Adren Maurice Turner, 44, Mexia, Texas
402. November 10, 2008: Guy James Fernandez, 42, Santa Rosa, California
403. December 3, 2008: Leroy Hughes, 52, Covington, Kentucky
404. December 9, 2008: Quincy Smith, 24, Minneapolis, Minnesota
405. December 19, 2008: Edwin Rodriguez, 26, San Jose, California
406. December 21, 2008: Nathan Vaughn, 39, Santa Rosa, California
407. December 24, 2008: Unidentified man, 46, Houston, Texas
408. January 8, 2009: Derrick Jones, 17, Martinsville, Virginia
409. January 11, 2009: Rodolfo Lepe, 31, Bakersfield, California
410. January 22, 2009: Roger Redden, 52, Soddy Daisy, Tennessee
411. February 2, 2009: Garrett Jones, 45, Stockton, California
412. February 11, 2009: Richard Lua, 28, San Jose, California
413. February 13, 2009: Rudolph Byrd, Age Unknown, Thomas County, Florida
414. February 13, 2009: Michael Jones, 43, Iberia, Louisiana
415. February 14, 2009: Chenard Kierre Winfield, 32, Los Angeles, California
416. February 28, 2009: Robert Lee Welch, 40, Conroe, Texas
417. March 22, 2009: Brett Elder, 15, Bay City, Michigan
418. March 26, 2009: Marcus D. Moore, 40, Freeport, Illinois
419. April 1, 2009: John J. Meier Jr., 48, Tamarac, Florida
420. April 6, 2009: Ricardo Varela, 41, Fresno, California
421. April 10, 2009: Robert Mitchell, 16, Detroit, Michigan
422. April 13, 2009: Craig Prescott, 38, Modesto, California
423. April 16, 2009: Gary A. Decker, 50, Tuscon, Arizona
424. April 18, 2009: Michael Jacobs Jr., 24, Fort Worth, Texas
425. April 30, 2009: Kevin LaDay, 35, Lumberton, Texas
426. May 4, 2009: Gilbert Tafoya, 53, Holbrook, Arizona
427. May 6, 2009: Grant William Prentice, 40, Brooks, Alberta
428. May 17, 2009: Jamaal Ray Valentine, 27, La Marque, Texas
429. May 23, 2009: Gregory Rold, 37, Salem, Oregon
430. June 9, 2009: Brian Layton Cardall, 32, Hurricane, Utah
431. June 13, 2009: Dwight Jerome Madison, 48, Baltimore, Maryland
432. June 20, 2009: Derrek Kairney, 36, South Windsor, Connecticut
433. June 29, 2009: Shawn Iinuma, 37, Fontana, California
434. July 2, 2009: Rory McKenzie, 25, Bakersfield, California
39 comments:
Your work in compiling this list has been tremendous. Thank you for publishing it.
I have spend about 100 hours trying to find death cases by Internet search, starting with the lists to 2005, and traced many of them, including a small number you don't have. One of these is Scott Norberg, 1996. Search for http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-04-15/news/murder-on-madison-the-norberg-remix/
"A judge ruled in favor of Manning's client, affirming the man had been killed after jail guards stunned him 13 times with a Taser and kicked him in his larynx.
The man's family won $8.25 million, Manning said, the highest wrongful-death settlement in Arizona's history."
Good work on the list. Not to be nit-picky but Michael Todd Gleim was from Milford, Ohio -- not Connecticut. He died in police (Hamilton County/Cincinnati Ohio) custody being transported from one jail cell to another.
Here are the taser-related deaths I have that I think are not on your list. I've been combing throuh jail deaths and lawsuits.
Several cases in which tasing was incidental to a shooting death are not included
June 1, 1996: Scott Norberg, 32, Maricopa County, Arizona Tased in jail beating death.
April 16, 2003: Corey Calvin Clark, 33, Amarillo, Texas Shot 2x then tasered 5x because still fighting
June 16, 2004: Abel Ortega Perez, 36, Austin, Texas “tasered seveal times and later died” Case was discovered by researchers in a routine usage report, not reported in press.
January 7, 2006: Carlos Claros Castro, 28, Davidson City, North Carolina Multi tased during jail beating.
January 16, 2006: Shmekia Lewis (female), 24, Beaumont, Texas Tasered during arrest and again while being put in a jail restraint chair where she died.
February 6, 2006: Jessie Williams Jr., 40, Harrison County, Mississippi Tased in jail beating death
April 18, 2006: Richard McKinnon, 52, Cumberland County, North Carolina Taser ignited accidentally spilled gasoline October 19, 2005. Died from the burns 6 months later, possibly never left hospital.
July 20, 2006: Mark McCullaugh, 28, Akron, Ohio Coroner says jail homicide by “mechanical, chemical and electrical restraint”.
October 22, 2006: Jordan Case, 20, Tualatin, Oregon Tased 12x, beanbag 9x, then shot 4x
June 19, 2007: Juan Flores Lopez: 47, San Angelo, Texas Doused self with gasoline in front of police, then was ignited by taser.
I've made a graph of taser-associated deaths per month versus particular month (Year-Month) based on this list.
Link = http://www.Excited-Delirium.com/2008/04/trend-is-there-problem.html
There's a definite step function starting post-2003.
Could you please list your sources? Are you going by what was determined by a medical examiner as cause of death or just an account of a person dying at some point after being tasered? You need to list where you got your information.
The preamble to the list describes how the names have been gathered. These are all people who have died after they were tasered.
Here's another death from 2005.
April 24 2005: Jesse Colter, 31, Phoenix, Arizona. E. D. type who had open heart surgery 6 months before.
Someone asked: "...determined by a medical examiner as cause of death...?"
Okay, let's lay it out:
Taser has cultivated close relationships with many leading coroners and medical examiners. They sponsor almost-'captive' organizations that sponsor nice seminars in pleasant locations. They pay for coroners to attend. They're deeply involved in the coroner and ME business. Skeptics might find this cozy Taser+Coroners relationship very suspicious.
Would you eat ice cream from an ice cream company that was this friendly with coroners and medical examiners? I certainly wouldn't.
If you ask many coroners, they'd tell you flat out that tasers are perfectly safe (because Taser told them so, and Taser wouldn't lie, would they?). Some skeptics might use the word brainwashed. Taser has had quite the head start in this.
Many of these coroners have been told that the various tasers emit only about 2 mA ("average"), but I'll bet most don't realize that the M26 emits 162 mA RMS and the X26 emits 151 mA RMS. The industry standard method to measure electrical waveforms is RMS (like your household power is 120 volts RMS).
I'll put it out again because it's important:
Taser M26 is 162 mA RMS
Taser X26 is 151 mA RMS
These RMS values, which appeared on earlier revisions of their specification sheets, have been curiously expunged from the later revisions.
Why?
Taser sues coroners that have found that the taser was a contributing factor. They're in court this week in fact.
There are other coroners that list everything (EVERYTHING!) except (!) the taser. Amazing!!! Why? Well, see above. And see below too.
The taser leaves zero internal footprints. There is no physical evidence. This 'proof issue' is a huge problem for opponents of Taser. It's as if Taser has invented a magic electric rifle that can take down victims (and possibly stop their heart) without leaving a sign.
But to claim that the taser is perfectly safe in the face of such numbers is an insane position.
If Taser was honest, they would provide a numerical risk value. The number will not be zero. I've never seen such a number. Even Boeing has to submit a thick report showing their estimated risk for the wings falling off (etc.).
Look for my post "Looking for 'proof' in all the wrong places" on my blog www.Excited-Delirium.com for further discussion on this issue.
Perhaps the standard for proof should be that someone died and there were all those little Taser serial number tags found scattered around at the scene. At least it is strong evidence that the taser is a possible contributing factor to the death.
It's naive to exclude the taser as a possible contributing factor because Taser told them so.
And when you see the ethical missteps associated with Taser, you wouldn't thrust them as far as you could throw them.
Congratulations on your website- it is definitely the best I have seen on this cirical issue.
I have another (probably my last) set of six names to offer- these from searching "in custody deaths". However, I have tried a on couple of different days to submit them as another comment to your list, and am unable to do so- the last response was that my browser is blocked. So, in the interest of completeness, I will pass the message this way, for you do do with as you wish.
***
Six more names April 28/08
From http://stolenlives.org/read/index.php?action=show§ion=area_los_angeles.xml&display=LOS+ANGELES&area=19
April 11 1985, Cornelius Garland Smith, 35, Los Angeles, California
A break-dancing black man high on PCP may be the first North American post-tasing death.
March 9 1993, Michael Bryant, 35, Los Angeles, California
From other Google sources:
January 10, 2005, Jerry Moreno, 33, Los Angeles, California Jail death
January 29, 2006 Benites Sichero, 39, Spokane County, Washington Jail death
March 18, 2006, Cedric Davis, 26, Merced County,, California Jail death
September 4, 2006, Jesus Mejia, 33, Los Angeles, California
and from From Amnesty International report AMR 51/030/2006, these identifications:
June 4 2005, the unidentified man's name is Ravan Conston, 33
June 29, 2005, the unidentified man's name is Pharoah Knight, 33
Probably over 90% of the list is findable by Internet search, but some searches are indirect and slow. I think this may be the last set of names from the past that I will find.
***
Kate
Thank you Kate for the names you have added to this list. I haven't added them into the master list yet because of the time that will take. But I hope to do so at some point. In the meantime, I greatly appreciate your posting them here. At least they're "with" the list. Reality Chick
I found your site after Kevin Piskura's death. You are doing a tremendous job. Just last week TASER succeeded in silencing a coroner when a Judge ruled that findings relating death to tasering had to be removed from autopsy findings.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6zgej7
Also my son told me a 9 year old boy in Painesville Ohio died after being tasered - I can't find any record of this and wonder if anyone has information.
First I must say THANK YOU for doing this list. I hope that it will make a difference. My brother was Todd Gleim who died Oct. 23, 2006 after being tased while in custody at the Hamilton Judicial Center in Cincinnati, Oh. The cornors report lists his cause of death as excited delirium -whatever that is supposed to mean. To the best of my knowledge Todd was tased 3 times and died in custody not at the hospital. He was already dead by the time they got him there. I saw it on the tapes that were released by the Justice Center. The problem for people who have lost loved ones this way is trying to prove that the cause of death was do to being tased. It is almost impossible to fight the police and win.
I also would like to add my thoughts and prayers to everyone who has lost a loved one this way.
Tina in PA
What can we do to prevent this??
Thanks for makeing this list. I am a brother of one of those deaths and people need to see how many deaths the taser cuesed.
Kudos to you for compiling that massive list. I can appreciate how much effort you put into it.
It is staggering how many deaths are attributed to the use of the Taser, and yet they are still in use by law enforcement.
Thanks for posting those notes, I am the son of one of those taser victims, I was the first person contacted after the incident and after it, the police gave a laugh and said he(Richard McKinnon) caught on fire. Then when they told his sister what happened they intentionally left out the fact he had been tasered. The Dr. Sais he couldnt had ran from the taser Because he had a broke leg, neck,rib, and hip and it was impossible. He also said the burns were to severe that he had to be burning for a while to take that amount. So i agree that they should be outlawed
Hi,
I noticed your list and I wish to comment on #61. Demetrius Tillman Nelson died during the same incident in which a taser was used on him. His actual cause of death was cocaine induced delirium. I'm not sure if that would warrant removal from your list, but I thought I would comment.
Tasers were used five times on him, but he sat for several minutes in irons before going into arrest. He was full of cocaine and I'm almost sure that in this case the taser was not the cause of death.
These things are tested on cops and company engineers all the time. When people are being violent, what are the police supposed to do. Granted, anything can be abused in the wrong hands.
Hi #156 on your list (Jose M.Perez) is my stepdad, i was at the house when he had been tasered and just want to say thank you for putting this list together. A lot of websites thank link to these deaths will not let you know the whole story after what happened, they always want to make the police look like they did nothing wrong when in reality thery're killing people. Yes i know that tasers are suppose to keep us "safe" and are tested on police to show how "safe and harmless" they are but Jose was tasered 21 times, had a fractured neck, and lost a number of teeth. All the police that were also involved are still working for the San Leandro Police Department after 3 years of the incident. Now, how safe is that?
Vardan Kasilyan, 29, Las Vegas, Nevada - died September 30, 2006. Medical examiner Dr. Gary Telgenhoff testified that Vardan
Kasilyan died by choking on his own vomit. He said contributing
factors were Kasilyan's use of methamphetamine and cocaine a short
time before the incident, the mental illness and the use of the Taser.
I found it interesting that 68 deaths (17.6%) on your list were in California. New York had 9, Canada 19, and Texas had 23. Has anyone researched this?
Rodney Fisk wrote: "These things are tested on cops and company engineers all the time."
Mr. Fisk, have you noticed that when the tasers are 'tested' on police officers (usually during their so-called training) that the taser barbs or probes are almost always placed or shot into the back, and VIRTUALLY NEVER to the chest?
You see the same thing in all the soft-news propaganda so-called news stories showing the 'brave' trainee taking the hit in the BACK, never the chest.
Now why would that be?
If they were concerned about the probes landing in the face, then they could simply wear a face mask like the sort used when operating a chainsaw (about $20).
Perhaps they're simply trying to hope nobody notices the subtle difference between back and chest.
In this way they can manufacture 'evidence' of their product's 'safety' by sheer weight of numbers of these FAKED so-called tests.
"Denominator washing" is my term for the practice.
If they're really confident about the safety of tasers, then have the trainees don a face mask and turn around.
Until they do, then they are nothing more than chicken-shit cowards and con artists using cheap stage tricks.
And it would be best if we-the-public paid enough attention to notice such slippery details.
I voluntarily took a full on Taser shot to the chest and I'm fine today. In fact, the whole argument of the difference between your front or back getting hit is laughable. The electricity flows through the area BETWEEN where the barbs are. My heart was DIRECTLY between the barbs. Here is a hint for people that want to know how to reduce Taser deaths: STOP FIGHTING WITH THE POLICE! Before Taser most officers would either have to use baton, fists, knees, kicks, or elbows. Now if you ask me, I'd rather have a 5 second ride on Taser any day if my options are the former.
Taser is a revolutionary tool that has SAVED more lives than it has taken. I know from experience.
My Uncle was Garrett Jones, thank you for adding him to your site, taser they can save lifes maybe if used right but when you hit a person a number of times with a taser then follow up with a physical altercation and repeated hitting u cant really say it was stirctly taser death.
The death of Garrett Jones was tragic and must be classified as murder in the first degree committed by law enforcement officials. Why? He was "GIVING UP" and pleaded for the cops to stop beating him. Witnesses also told the cops to "STOP OR YOU GONNA KILL HIM!!!" But they continued to beat him to death with what appeared to be their PR-24 Side Handle Baton, after the tazers were used. The involved deputies' supervising staff also stated to the press that "He (Garrett Jones) sufferred a 'CARDIAC ARREST'..." What more could be said that "Tazers" were part of contribution to Garrett's death? I haven't heard of any case of beating that resulting in cardiac arrest (heart attack). The tazers that were used caused the heart attack on Garrett and the cops used their PR-24s to finished the execution of Garrett Jones. It is a cold blooded and calculated act with the use of tazers in this case, which these cops' department allows them to use on their own discressions!!! How long since Garrett Jones stopped breathing before the cops realized that he (Garrett) was not breathing and ceased their assault upon him with their PR-24s? What caused them to look around after they completed the act of murder? Did they then realized that they took someone's life at their own discression with the use of tazer and PR-24s?
Anon @8:11: Taser is a revolutionary tool that has SAVED more lives than it has taken. I know from experience.
Please provide the names of five people whose lives were saved. Or three. Or one.
"I voluntarily took a full on taser shot to the chest and I'm fine today."
No brain damage then?
Seriously, no reasonable person is claiming that the taser is 100% lethal. It obviously isn't. But it has been termed a street level death lottery. The raw data from the street indicates that there is a low-end-single-digit chance of purely-coincidental taser-associated death when the darts hit the chest.
The FACT that virtually ALL taser training hits are taken to the BACK is clear-cut evidence that they're concerned about something. Example here and there prove nothing. Change the taser training to take the demo hits in the chest 100% of the time and let it run for a year and then (perhaps) I'll take your point more seriously.
But I'd actually expect that Taser would put in increased emphasis for aiming lower on the torso.
Until these changes are made - taser training hits to the back are FAKE.
And they're obviously scared of SOMETHING...
My brother is listed on this page #341 Dewayne Chatt.My family really apprecaites you adding our loved one to your site. He was tased 7 times by 5 West Memphis police officers.He recieved no medical attention, they carried him to a jail ceil were he died 30 minutes later.No action was taken against the officers.Police officers around the United States are out of control with these devices.Something has got to be done about this, death by tasers are increasing every month and the age group is getting younger.I think the police are worst than gang bangers now.
Thanks
Wow, so many people that need to be placed in the shoes of a police officer are posting on this site. To the person that wants a list of names of people whose lives have been saved by the tazer, you can list any of the police officers that used the tazer or the person that they tazed because without the tazer they may have been shot. I was present when a man was tazed (I'm not a police officer) and had he not been tazed he would be dead. The only thing that I had to do was pull 2 tazer barbs out of his leg and hip, without the tazer I would have been doing CPR. It also doesn't matter whether you get tazed in the front or the back, as a paramedic we apply the defibrillation patches to a persons back in some cases because they'll be more effective. Go to the police academy and sit in on the tazer training and you will see that it isn't taken lightly and the training is extensive. Take some time to look up most of these tazer deaths and you will see that either they needed to be shot (non-compliance with orders) or they had drugs in their system, in either case the death was earned.
The guy above me said it all. I was also present at the time of a tesering. The guy was drunk and went for the cops gun and another cop present shot him with a taser. The guy that was tasered passed out and they just cuffed him and several minutes later he was completely ok. The two cops, the suspect, and about 5 other people, including myself, were all saved thanks to this amazing tool. The cop had all the right in the world to shoot the guy but rather he had the taser which saved all of our lives.
Anonymous climing to be a Paramedic posting on 13 April 09 11:36 PM....."It also doesn't matter whether you get tazed in the front or the back, as a paramedic we apply the defibrillation patches to a persons back in some cases because they'll be more effective." 1. To tell the WHOLE truth, actually one patch goes over or in the vicinity of the sternum (chest) and the other in the mid-axillary (or possibly back ...Therefore, the current runs thru the chest (thus cardiac muscle), not left to right across the back as in the case of 2 Taser barbs in the back. So that point was a waste of space...2.The defibrillator is a coordinated electroshock device designed to cardiovert SVT or convert ventricular fibrillation from uncoordinated "cardiac muscle seizure" (fibrillation) to coordinated muscle pumping action. The Taser is a manually operated device and just like any other uncontrolled electrical surge in the body, when it takes the pathway of least resistance and that pathway happens to involve the cardial muscle/electrical pacemaking system whether by quirk, accident, or design then the same thing will happen whether house current or Taser current...
".... in either case the death was earned." REALLY??!! and your reason for becoming a Paramedic was??? Compassion? 'Doing no harm'? Helping the helpless? Serving ANY in the community that are in need of Emergency Medical Service? Seemingly NOT! I believe in capital punishment but only after judge, jury, conviction and review of the case, thoroughly. So in your opinion if there is a disagreement between law enforcement and an otherwise cooperative subject, rather than first utilize more professional techniques (which are also taught in the academy)it is justifiable for them to just jump straight to bully mode and if pushing and shoving usually 2-3 on one doesn't do it, and being atop the handcuffed subject doens't do it then the suspect has "earned" capital punishment on the street without judge, jury, or conviction?? GOOD CALL - Please, let us all know where you Paramedic so we can avoid calling for
EMS when in your coverage area!! With a caring attitude like yours, I say 'no, thanks' I think I will just take my chances and drive on to the next EMS coverage area.
Just to clarify...I am a Combat Veteran (Medic)in addition to 25+ years as a civilian medic and 3 years as a firefighter/medic. Additionally I am a certified Tactical Medic (SWAT Team Medic). I know a little about what I speak of..... V4T
Thank you so much for your very educational comment SWAT Medic VRT. Unfortunately, it is a fight that we may get tired of fighting. We wil fall BUT, need to get back up. This mildly explains what I feel now in our fight for my Paul's rights! My husband Paul J. Swider (29 yrs. old) also died shortly after he was tasered on May 6, 2008 in Hammond Indiana. Please add his name to the LONG list of victims who are no longer with us and can no longer fight the legal and "coroner" beaurocracies for themselves! Unfortunately, all of these people had wonderful families who miss them so much and have to fill the void of their absence as I will have to do with our little boy who is only 3 yrs. old. He misses his VERY loving daddy EVERYDAY!!! Ignorant and uneducated comments are not appreciated!
I see that we have had about 19 taser deaths in the USA in CY-2009. I wonder if the majority of these deaths were of Black people?
19th century law and order is alive and well in Nashville tenn.,Only problem its the 21st century and the gun slinging pain inflicting has gone electronic with the taser.In the caseof Patrick Lee {#153), the police appeared to be too lazy and too fat {one cop was oushing 350lbs-brooks}as at least 10 cops had pat surrounded in side an enclosed parking lot not much bigger than a tennis court just simply tased him to death tasing him 19 times.The assasins officers skruggs and mays{the taser operators and killer # 3 ofc Creegan whoo asphxiated him kneeling on Pat for at least 12 min. by the way the judge decided to let Taser off the suit altogether,though taser still sent their "ExpertS" including Dr.Ho 9taser "ho")who recieves maassive amounts of money to defend taser in Litigation and Bias in his research is obvious ,! example the test for acidosis is done by checking the lactic acid cont immediatley before the tase ,immediatley after and 16 hours later-in that the acid ct . doubled but obviously 16 hours later was gone. Why wernt blood samples taken 30 min later ,1hour later,2 hours later?? answer it is to damning to Taser.It is not acceptable for the police to police themselves nor taser to monitor themselves -ea have a bias that has allowedthem to kill over $00 people We lost the case in Davison cty but will appealand tghis time we wont let Taser off the hook
Family of Pat Lee
Thanks you for all your valuable efforts, particularly the somber task of maintaining this list of deaths following Taser shock.
One small point re Derrick Jones of Martinsville: all sources I've seen give the date of death as Jan.8, not Jan.9 as listed here.
Thanks again.
I want to comment on the Anonymous post from April 13th, 2009 from I believe an EMT. Your last sentence is disturbing - "...in either case the death was earned." How can you say such a thing. My brother is one of the people listed on the list and I can tell you that is death was not earned!! Yes he was drunk and probably did not listen to the orders from the police, but he had a weak heart and I saw the video from the Judicial Center... let me say he was not deserving. When he clasped on the floor he was first tackeled and restrained while unconcious (already dead). Litterly you watch him die while the police stood there. Again - not deserving.
so for you pro taser guys, I guess it comes down the Devils arithmetic; how many deaths are "justifiable" vs. "genocidal", huh?
and dont get me wrong; you should listen to cops (within reason) if they ask you to do something; especially if its clear you broke the law.
the problem with a taser is that its not listed a weapon of "deadly" force so the cops keep pulling the triggers over and over again.
sending too many volts through a person.
to the guys that say "how come some are ok then? not all die!"
DOES EVERYBODY REACT THE SAME WAY TO EVERYTHING? (DRUGS, ELECTRICAL SHOCK, ETC)
ANSWER IS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....
we are all different in that respect; nobody "knows" their limits until sadly its too late. some people that are tased cant handle it. especially when 3 cops tase you at once.
I can understand Law Enforcement's argument about it "saving lives". I truly do.
but its a logical fallacy and its NOT proven.
Tasers are doing more harm than good.
and I cant accept that the people that died in the above list were all "bad apples" nor do I accept they are acceptable "collateral damange".
I have 1 more name for your list. It is Chance W. Shrum, 20 years old, Died May 15, 2007, Iola, KS.
Thank you for the information available through your website.
You want to know who has been saved by the use of Tasers?
Look up anyone who was wielding a knife who was tased. There are two in the newsroll on the right. The alternative the police had to tasing them...was shooting them. Those people are likely alive today because of tasers.
Now compare that number, 412 to how many who have been killed by having to retain a suspect by hand or using mace. Take alook at the number of police killed that didn't have a taser that wouldn't have if they did. 412 death's wouldn't make a percent of that number. The taser is the safest way to control a suspect, and until something better comes along it's the best. Unless you prefer mace which has killed way more people than that, or maybe when someone doesn't comply... you think the police should just let em go. So What you killed, robbed, are driving drunk, and might really hurt someone who is innocent they should just let you go right? 95 percent of these people are victims of there on cause. Remember these people did something to get tased, and if they didn't that is a whole nother issue. Those cops should be handled for what they did, not the blame placed on a life saving tool. Look at the number of suspect deaths since the use of the taser it has dropped 42% over the first 5 years that makes something like 3425 less deaths over that period. Thats incredible
Let's stop tasers!
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