Victims Had Medical Problems before TASER Incident

Two individuals who died after officers had employed the use of TASER devices on them have been rules as homicides by a medical examiner, meaning that the officers involved won’t face prosecution charges.

The autopsies on the victims found that they had previous medical conditions, one of which included obesity, plus the report also found that they were under the influence of drugs.

One of the victims who was 29-years-old died from cardio respiratory arrest, while it was found that he had caffeine, nicotine and marijuana in his system. Furthermore he also suffered from sickle cell disease and hypertension.

The second victim who was 40-years-old died as a result of a cocaine induced delirium. Additionally, blood pressure medication was found in her body which she had been taking to treat her hypertension.

On top of these findings the reports found that morbid obesity and physical exertion also played a role in their deaths: the 29-year-old was 445 pounds; the 40-year-old was 359 pounds.

The report undertaken of the two victims found that the 29-year-old man had initially suffered from drug hallucinations and a seizure at an inn where police were called to the scene. When police arrived the man became aggressive.

As a result, officers employed a TASER weapon on the man five times before he complied with their orders. The report filed by police explained that they operated the device repeatedly because no effect was being produced on the man.

However it was only after paramedics had injected valium into the victim that he calmed down. But his heart also slowed down, and he was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

The 40-year-old victim experienced the shock of the self defense device on her four times. Police were first called to her house after neighbors reported her shouting that someone was trying to kill her. Before falling off a second floor balcony, she was seen kicking in numerous doors.

When officers arrived she was seen trying to steal a car. Because of this a TASER device was employed on her after she resisted and fought officers.

It’s always a tricky subject to deal with when a self defense device has been used on individuals who have died that were also afflicted with medical problems. Where does a person start at unearthing the real cause? Did they die because of the stunning device? Or was it because of their medical issues?

In this instance however while the devices had been used on them that’s not to say that they were the cause of the victims deaths.