Livonia Police Deputy Chief Curtis Caid jumped all over the coroner's decision to put distance between the actions of his officers and the death:
He said Ford was not beaten as has been alleged by family members, and that if Ford had listened to police, the incident would have been a non-event.“We extend our sympathies to the Ford family for their loss,” he said, but “claims that police used extensive force are proven to be inaccurate by the results of the autopsy, by the medical records and the hospital.”
Police said Ford was electrocuted with a taser gun when he approached a police cruiser. They said he ignored commands to drop to the ground and believed he had knives in each hand.
At this point we have no independent confirmation that any weapons were found on Ford ... much less "knives in each hand". The unidentifed officer who killed Ford is currently on desk duty.
Vervena Johnson, a friend of Ford’s, said he was a special person and not at all like he’s been portrayed.
“He was one of the sweetest, nicest people you could meet,” she said.
2 comments:
So, exactly how many more people need to die by taser before the issue is addressed on a national basis?
Karen - I 'spose that it will take a high-profile victim before things are addressed at national level.
I'm only tracking one small part of the issue: taser-related deaths.
Perhaps there are other aspects of the taser issue that would be more sexy for national legislators and civil rights organizations.
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