Man Dies After Arizona Police Taser Him

A man was tasered by an Arizona highway patrol officer and then died, The Arizona Republic has reported. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), Mark Andrew Morse, age 36, had a run-in with the highway patrol outside Phoenix early Thursday morning, February 4^th. The facts are sketchy at best, but DPS says Mr. Morse was stopped by highway patrol when he was seen walking in a carpool lane. According to DPS, Mr. Morse was tasered after he became “combative” and refused to follow instructions. After that, all that is known is that Mr. Morse was taken into custody, that he was exhibiting breathing problems, and that he was later pronounced dead at John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital in Phoenix.

Despite DPS’s claims about Mr. Morse’s behavior on the morning of February 4^th, his family has demanded more information. They expressed disbelief that Mr. Morse was capable of behaving the way DPS claimed he did. Mr. Morse’s cousin said, “We're just trying to understand what happened and why it’s been kept so hush-hush.” Mr. Morse, who grew up in Phoenix and lived in Arkansas, was in town to introduce his fiancée to his mother.

Taser stun guns are increasingly carried and used by law enforcement officers throughout the United States, despite the fact that their use has been associated with hundreds of deaths. Individuals who have been injured or lost loved ones as a result of Tasers have successfully brought claims for personal injury and wrongful death damages. In some cases where law enforcement officers have used Tasers inappropriately, victims have brought claims of excessive force and collected significant settlements and verdicts to compensate for officers’ misconduct.

Ex-Cop on Trial for Homicide After Taser Death

Police departments across the country have increasingly issued Taser stun guns to officers with the idea that these weapons can be used in emergency circumstances, rather than resorting to the use of a real gun. In theory, if an officer feels he is being threatened, firing a Taser is a good alternative to firing a gun, since a Taser is less likely than a gun to cause serious injury or death.

Unfortunately, cops’ increased use of Tasers in recent years has demonstrated that this theory is deeply flawed.

For one thing, Tasers do, and have, caused deaths. In fact, since 2001, about 400 deaths have been attributed to the use of Tasers. Lawsuits have arisen throughout the United States as families seek justice for the loss of their loved ones.

Secondly, it has become increasingly clear that law enforcement officers are taking their use of Tasers beyond situations where it would be a substitute for a gun. There is concern that police may be more likely to use Tasers on a suspect, thinking they are safer than handguns. Yet, every time a Taser is used, there is a possibility of causing a death. (Taser’s own representative acknowledged the potential for fatalities when he referred to the stun guns as “less-lethal weapons.”)

Furthermore, a handful of officers have used their Tasers in completely inappropriate situations, such as where there is no real threat to safety. This is frightening territory. In January 2008 in Winnfield, Louisiana, for example, a police officer named Scott Nugent used his Taser to stun a 21-year-old man who was already detained in handcuffs. Nugent shot the Taser nine times, killing the young man. Now an ex-cop, Nugent will stand trial in June on charges of manslaughter and malfeasance, according to The Associated Press.

Another Man Dies After Police Use Taser

Earlier this month, a Virginia man died after Hampton police tasered him twice.The officers involved were placed on administrative leave.The death can be added to the mounting list of fatalities associated with the widespread use of Taser stun guns by law enforcement in recent years.An article published on Examiner.com looks at Taser-related deaths, the use of excessive force by law enforcement, and the implications of this recent tragedy for the region of Hampton Roads, Virginia.

The article includes some disturbing statistics about Tasers, raising questions about why law enforcement agencies continue to promote the use of these weapons.Despite significant training, police officers continue to demonstrate that they are unable to use Tasers safely.For example, Amnesty International reported that 80 percent of Taser incidents involved unarmed suspects and 36 percent of Taser incidents were a result of verbal non-compliance.Only three percent of the cases involved the threat of deadly assault.

Examples of Taser incidents that have occurred over the last few years include the following:

• In 2003, a mentally disabled man died after being Tasered for violating a home detention order.

• In Colorado, a man was Tasered in his genitals while he was handcuffed in the back of a police car.

• In 2007, a man was Tasered while holding an infant, which caused him to drop the infant on its head.

• In 2009, a ten year-old girl was Tasered after refusing to take a shower and becoming combative after her mother called the police to subdue her.

Taser Death Re-examined: Government Commission Critical of Police Use of Taser

On December 8^th, a Canadian government commission issued a report re-examining the 2007 death of a Polish immigrant who died after being repeatedly tasered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Robert Dziekanski had just arrived in Canada from Poland and became distraught when a communications mixup left him stranded for hours in the baggage area of the airport. Dziekanski did not speak English, and police were called to the scene following reports of a man creating a disturbance at the Vancouver airport.

Officers arriving on the scene waited less than 30 seconds before deploying their Taser stun guns on Dziekanski, and shocked him repeatedly without determining whether further shocks were justified. A bystander captured the event on video, and footage of Dziekanski screaming in agony on the floor as he was repeatedly tasered while he died appeared worldwide and incited outrage over his death.

The strongly-worded 200 page report, which may be read in its entirety by clicking here, concludes that the use of the taser was, in the words of Paul Kennedy, chairman for the Commission of Public Complaints “premature and inappropriate.”