Taser Death: Mark Shaver (Brimfield, OH)

The penalty for stealing $990 worth of video-games from Wal-Mart Stores should not be death. However, 32-year old Mark Shaver was killed by taser-wielding police in Portage County, Ohio last week.

Here is the story as shared by the folks at E-Portage News. Mark Shaver and Stephanie Eikelberry, 29, entered the Brimfield Wal-Mart store on Tuesday, November 2nd. Shaver allegedly stole $990 work of video games and DVDs and then ran out of the store into a nearby apartment complex. He was chased by Wal-Mart security staff and Brimfield Police Department Sergeant David Knarr and a police dog named 'Havoc'.

Knarr and Havoc chased Shaver for over 1.5 miles before finding him in the woods. Sgt. Knarr didn't feel that Shaver showed respect quickly enough ... so he electrocuted Shaver multiple times with his taser gun. He was then subdued and handcuffed.

He was booked in the early morning hours of Saturday in the Portage County Jail. While in jail Shaver began vomiting and had some diarrhea. Shaver family members indicate that he was found later that weekend in his cell, face down, with no heartbeat. The family feels that the taser shock was part of what killed him.

Brimfield Police Chief Blough thinks that Shaver killed himself as he stated,

"My understanding is that for about 4 to 6 weeks he had been complaining of bad chest pains to his girlfriend, and he refused to go to the doctor. My understanding, is that he allegedly had a pretty strong heroine habit and smoked two to three packs of cigarettes a day. It had absolutely nothing to do with the taser."

I guess we will learn more when the autopsy report is issued.