Taser Death: Rickey Massey (Panama City, FL)

It happened again ... 42 weeks into the calendar year and we're reporting on the 42nd taser-related death in America! This time police in Panama City FL used their taser gun to kill 38-year old Rickey Massey on Friday, September 2. [SOURCE]

Two Panama City Police officers (A.C. Llorens and Michael McCrary)and two Bay County Sheriff’s deputies (Steve Retherford and Ray Scott), all of whom are part of the Bay Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Squad (BADGES), stopped a vehicle Friday afternoon when they saw that one of the vehicle’s occupants was “consuming an unknown amount of what appeared to be narcotics,” officials said in a news release.




The two Panama City police officers attempted to prevent the man from “consuming or destroying” what turned out to be a large amount of crack cocaine, and they began to struggle, officials said late Friday.

One of the Panama City officers pulled out his Taser gun and used it to stun the man in what is known as a “drive stun,” the release said. In a drive stun, the probe cartridge is removed from the Taser before use; the device is then pressed against the subject and used.

By design, the Taser can be used in 5-second blasts only; however, officials said late Friday they did not yet know if the man was stunned more than once. After the altercation ended, officers realized Massey was in need of medical attention and rushed him to the hospital, officials said. He later died.

The medical examiner’s office will perform an autopsy as early as today to determine the cause of death.

The two Panama City officers were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, officials said. Panama City officials have asked Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the death, said Deputy Chief Robert Colbert.

“I think everyone involved would agree that this is an unfortunate sequence of events that, if it were at all possible, we would liked to have avoided,” Colbert said. “However, you do have an individual that became combative with law enforcement, and officers are required to react.”

It appears that the Panama City police department loves to use their taser guns. They tasered another guy on the same day as well!

---

Villager's Voice: There are a couple of things that I notice about the police press release. First, they are quick to focus on the 'druggie' angle of the story. I guess that using a taser on a drug user is justifiable in the minds of the police. Second, this is the second time in recent weeks that this term, "drive stun" is being used. Can anyone share more information on what it takes to turn a taser gun into a 'drive stun' gun?