Paul Martin Martinez, 36, was a bad man. He had a long criminal history. He didn't want to be incarcerated. All that being said, he didn't deserve to be killed from taser blasts by Roseville police officers while in custody.Martinez was arrested on Friday evening after a traffic stop turned up meth inside the his vehicle.
After being taken to the jail, Martinez became combative during the booking process, requiring several officers to attempt to subdue him. An unidentified Roseville police sergeant zapped Martinez in the buttocks with 50,000 volts of electricity from his taser gun. Martinez fell unconscious and stopped breathing.
Roseville emergency crews administered CPR and Martinez was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead just after 9 p.m.
The officers involved in the incident were placed on paid administrative leave.
The police appear to have gone taser-happy in the past week judging from the number of people that are dying while under police custody. I guess as long as the people being killed are bad there will not be a national uproar. I imagine that folks wont' get excited until one of these taser-related deaths to be a blue-eyed, blonde-hair victim.
What say u?
5 comments:
Unjust deaths happen all the time and your right, nobody cares. Society and mankind in general doesn't care when you or I drop dead. We are either unaware of 99.9% of when it does happen or 100% unaffected to be getting involved with something that's none of our business.
Arthur - Unjust deaths should not be happening at the hands of our police force. The police are supposed to be guardians of justice ... not UNjust.
This blog tracks taser-related deaths in America. We care. I figure that the family members of the people being killed weekly by extra-judicial electrocution and taser abuse care as well.
The police serve the people. It is the people's business.
I hear you. I'm not taking sides.
I appreciate your blog all the way.
Detainees and bad guys are not "The People" law enforcement are protecting and they have admitted that when failing to protect the innocent.
For our sake, I want to be wrong, but the elephants in the room are the lobbies in support of keeping tasers. They'll be redesigned around every argument. At best use will be reduced.
The 9th D.C. ruled other less lethal devices can subdue.
Police will still exaggerate fearing for their lives and cause to use the rest of their arsenal.
"Stop Resisting me"! is always shouted before noses are broken by a baton, shoulders are dislocated being cuffed etc...
In 5, 10 or 20 years tasers will still be here.
All police officers should be required to wear cameras. This has been proven to reduce police brutality. An officer could wear two cameras and the cost would be less than a pair of work shoes.IIn a city like Roseville with a corrupt, bigoted, and secretive police force it is even more necessary then in other areas. Roseville is a city of corruption and the police force is certainly no exception. I'm very sorry I live here and plan to leave as soon as I can.
Kate - I suspect that our nation's move towards becoming a surveillance society' means that your idea of police officers wearing cameras isn't so far-fetched. There is a show on television called 'Continuum' where America's future includes police officers who have cameras embedded into them.
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