October 18, 2009

Taser Death: Frank Cleo Sutphin (San Bernardino, CA)


It happened again. Another taser-related killing by a police officer. This time the deed was done in San Bernardino, CA. Police say that a 19-year-old Frank Cleo Sutphin died after officers used a Taser to subdue him at a board-and-care facility. The death occurred on Saturday, October 17.

The police officers arrived at the facility to investigate a fight involving three people. Officers separated the trio but "one of the subjects became combative and a Taser was deployed to control him."

Sutphin was having trouble breathing, and police called paramedics. Sutphin was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later.

Tasers are called non-lethal, however, this is the 43rd taser-related death in America over the first 43 weeks of the year. Doesn't that seem too often an occurrence to be acceptable? Have you signed our online petition asking for congressional hearings into taser torture?

3 comments:

crash92 said...

Reading what you wrote it is clear you have no idea what you are talking about. Tasers do not kill people. The suspect (not victim) had been fighting was actively resisting police. The suspect (not victim) had other issues and pepper spray or a baton strike would most likely have killed him. I have seen/heard of this situation before the suspect (not victim)was most likely on his way out anyway. Tasers (like firearms) save lives. If idiots like the suspect (not victim) would not fight police, we would not need to tase anyone.

Unknown said...

Crash92 - The suspect/victim/idiot was a 19-year old boy involved in a fight. The penalty for being a teenager in a fight is *not* death. That is the reason that it is unacceptable. Teenagers are involved in fights all over America on every night of the year ... yet, only when a taser is used to we find a young 'un being killed. Ain't that a problem worthy of review?

Unknown said...

All - The prosecutor laid no blame on the San Bernardino police officers involved in this taser-related death.

Read more... and watch video.