Canadian aggressors tase immigrant to death

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by LordShiva
Are there even 21 people in Nunavut? Or are teh same poor saps getting tasered multiple times?

That's what they do for fun on a Saturday night in Nunavut.

[Cort Haus]

Pretty soon we're going to need a Tasering sub-forum.

[LordShiva]

Donegeal could be teh moderator

[Donegeal]

:tazer:

[LordShiva]

Don't tase me, bro!

[Wezil]

Flubber - I'm not aware of a rash of police shootings. In fact I can't remember the last one. Asher has identified the real reason it is so low however - Ontario has it's own police force and these stats are RCMP.

The trophy is b/c we know better than let the Mounties handle day-to-day policing in this province. I wonder what the OPP Taser stats look like....

The SK number (152) is most alarming to me. Compared to the size of the population this seems extraordinarily high. This is probably the natives Amnesty was referring to.

[MarkG]

Three Weekend Deaths Tied to Tasers

Police Suspects in Fla., Md., and N.M. Die After Being Shocked by Taser Devices

By DAVID SCHOETZ

Nov. 19, 2007 —

Three men died this weekend after being zapped by Tasers during confrontations with police.

The three deaths came one week after a video surfaced of a Polish immigrant writhing in pain at Vancouver International Airport moments after being Tasered by Canadian police. The 40-year-old man died a short time later.

Sheriff's officers in Jacksonville, Fla., discharged a Taser on Christian Allen, 21, after he and a passenger in his sport utility vehicle tried to flee on foot after a traffic stop, Melissa Bujeda, spokeswoman for the Jacksonville, Fla., sheriff's office, told ABC News.

An officer pursued Allen in his car and then caught up to him on foot before discharging his Taser multiple times on the suspect. "They were in a struggle at the time," Bujeda said.

Allen, who had a previous arrest record, was carrying bags containing what police believe is crack cocaine and had a loaded handgun in his jacket pocket when an officer finally subdued him. Allen did not raise the gun at the officer, Bujeda said.

After he was Tasered, Allen was checked by EMT at the scene. EMT then cleared police to put him into the back of a cruiser. At that point, according to the sheriff's office, he became unconscious. He was driven to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Maryland police said today they will investigate the death of 20-year-old Jarrell Gray, who was involved in a fight in Frederick County, Md., early Sunday when police used the Taser to subdue him.

An autopsy will be conducted, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said. Jenkins said that so far this year his officers have used Tasers to safely detain suspects 27 times.

In New Mexico, 20-year-old Jesse Saenz was Tasered after struggling with police as they tried to take him into custody Sunday. Saenz died after being rushed to a hospital.

Canadian officials said Saturday that four police officers involved in the death of a Polish immigrant have been reassigned to different posts.

The decision followed the release of video showing Robert Dziekanski writhing in pain at the Vancouver International Airport after being struck by the Taser and before he died.

Canadian federal police Commissioner William Elliott defended the use of Tasers, saying that they are safe and effective in most cases. Eighteen people have died in Canada after being hit with a Taser in the last four years.

Police say that Tasers are valuable tools for avoiding dangerous struggles with suspects. The small, portable devices fire tiny, tethered cartridges that transmit electrical currents that shock the intended target. More than 11,000 law enforcement agencies use Tasers, The Associated Press reported in August.

A spokesman for Amnesty International said police should exercise more restraint when choosing to discharge the device.

The human rights organization cited 250 cases in the United States in the last six years where a suspect died after being hit with a Taser. Those statistics, however, do not track whether shock actually caused the deaths.

Taser International Inc., the company that manufactures Tasers, claims that the device can only be tied to 12 deaths.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3886107

[Donegeal]

Originally posted by Donegeal
:tazer:

Well look at this. We already have one that almost works:

[Wezil]

and we have

and

[Donegeal]

I was thinking more:

[Wezil]

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Wezil
Flubber - I'm not aware of a rash of police shootings. In fact I can't remember the last one. Asher has identified the real reason it is so low however - Ontario has it's own police force and these stats are RCMP.

Boy leave ourt a winkie smilie and everyone takes you all serious

But on the serious side it would be interesting if various police forces kept stats of how often taser are used. It might vary a lot based on their training doctrine or the threats they face but it still could be interesting

[Wezil]

Whether use of firearms by officers would be higher is a valid issue though even if you were only semi-serious.

I suspect the OPP are just as likely to use Tasers as other police forces. I would be interested in seeing those numbers but they are probably as reluctant as the RCMP to release them.

[Donegeal]

BTW, departments do keep track (atleast mine and all the communities in my county and surrounding counties). They give their numbers to Tazer International who compliles them. Thier numbers come directly from police departments. But they are still deceiving. They don't include how often a Tazer, or threat of Tazer was used but not deployed (which happens FAR more often than actually firing the thing).

[Kidlicious]

I've fot plans for Tazer International.