April 20, 2009

Unanswered Questions in Taser Killing of Michael Jacobs by Forth Worth Police Department


The questions continue to be asked ... but remain unanswered. Did this Blackman, Michael Jacobs, have to die?

24 year old Michael Jacobs died Saturday, shortly after Fort Worth police shot him with a taser stun gun. Family Spokesperson Kyev Tatum says, "He did not need to die that way. He really didn't."

For that reason, family spokesperson Kyev Tatum says the family will be filing a federal civil rights complaint with the US Department of Justice for wrongful death. Tatum explains, "When the police department showed up at the house the first time, EMS Medstar showed up as well, the attitude of the police department was unwarranted because they sent EMS away."

Jacobs' parents called police to their home on Ava Court Drive about 10:30am yesterday to help control him because he'd gone off his medication. Tatum says the young man has been diagnosed with paranoid schzophrenia and bipolar disorder. Police say an officer tased Jacobs after he went from agitated and uncooperative to combative.

Kyev Tatum says Jacobs went unconscious and officers called EMS back, but did not do CPR on Jacobs in the meantime. He says, "For whatever reason noone tried to revive him. You send EMS away, you don't provide CPR and then from the time it takes EMS to get back to the scene, the young man expired. And that we believe is murder."
Villagers, what are your thoughts on this case? Do you think that this young man deserved to die?

2 comments:

LISA VAZQUEZ said...

Hello there!

Thanks for covering this story!

This young man did not deserve to die. The family SHOULD absolutely file suit.

I am certainly not victim-blaming but I am puzzled about WHY the family allowed the EMS Medstar to be sent away.

As for the police officers NOT doing CPR on the young man, I am not sure what their policies are but I honestly have NEVER seen police officers doing CPR on the scene.

I also want to know why this family had no CPR training at all if they have a person who is mentally ill in the home who is on and off medications. Again, I am not victim-blaming but there are still some questions of their OWN lack of wisdom in this.

Still...my position is firm that this man died needlessly.

Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa

Unknown said...

Lisa - I'm hopeful that I can continue to share this story with my blog readers over the coming weeks and months. The family spokesperson is a member of the AfroSpear. I will see if he can answer the questions that you raised...