Man dies in North Carolina after police taser him for failing to stop riding his bicycle

November 23, 2011
WITN, North Carolina

The State Bureau of Investigation is now looking into the death of a Halifax County man after he was hit with a stun gun. Police say Roger Anthony, 61, was riding his bike along a road in Scotland Neck Monday night when he was ordered by an officer to stop.

Officers had received a call about a man on a bike who fell and may have been drunk.

When Anthony failed to respond to the officer, the policeman shocked Anthony with a stun gun and he fell off his bike. Anthony's family says the disabled man, who suffered from seizures and had trouble hearing, was declared brain dead at Pitt County Memorial Hospital. He died after being taken off life support.

The mayor of Scotland Neck called for North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation to look into what happened. He says Anthony did not pose a threat.

Wednesday morning an SBI spokeswoman told WITN News they were asked by Scotland Neck police and the district attorney to investigate the death.

The officer involved, who has only been on the force for a month, has been placed on desk duty.