Taser-Happy Cop Found Guilty of Excessive Force in the Electrocution of La'Reko Williams

Perhaps if taser-happy police officers have to pay for their impatience and arrogance when they electrocute people to death with their taser guns ... we will have less taser-related deaths! I'm fairly certain that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officer Michael Forbes will think twice before he uses his taser with such wanton disregard as a result of a federal jury ruling this week!

A federal jury ruled that CMPD Officer Forbes used excessive force when he fired a taser on 21-year old La'Reko Williams a second time, causing his death in 2011.   The jury also awarded the victim's family $500,000, but no award for punitive damages.  [SOURCE]

La'Reko Williams

On July 20, 2011, CMPD officer Michael Forbes was responding to a domestic violence call. When he arrived, 21-year-old La-Reko Williams was walking away from a fight with his girlfriend.   Officer Forbes ordered Williams to stop, but he didn't obey.  So Officer Forbes ended up firing 50,000 volts of electricity with his taser into the chest of Mr. Williams.   Williams fell to the ground, but Forbes then tased him a second time because he didn't listen when he asked him to roll over on his stomach. Williams then died from a heart attack.

The big question in this case was whether the second time Officer Forbes used his taser on Williams was excessive force.

David Ventura, one of the lawyers representing the family, says the jury's decision sends a strong message.

"Tasers have to be used reasonably like any other use of force," Ventura says. "Reasonably meaning based on the circumstances of what is happening at the time, whether it's a taser or any other type of weapon that they have available to them."

In a statement, city attorney Bob Hagemann says the city believes Officer Forbes acted reasonably in a very difficult situation, but respects the jury's decision.   Someone needs to remind Hagemann that the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem.   The jury didn't think Forbes "acted reasonably".  Otherwise they wouldn't have ruled against him!

Taser Lawsuit: La'Reko Williams vs. Officer Michael Forbes (NC)

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Michael Forbes took the stand this week in the civil case surrounding a 2011 death. The wheels of justice move slowly ... but, the parents of the La'Reko Williams, 21, have not given up. They are suing Forbes for wrongful death and say he used excessive force when he shot Williams with a Taser two times in 2011. Williams later died of a heart attack.  [SOURCE]

Officer Forbes was cleared by the department of any wrongdoing and is still on patrol. But Williams' family said the actions of Forbes are the reason Williams died.

The attorneys suing Officer Forbes, on behalf of Williams' parents, showed autopsy photos of Williams. They also played the video dash cam recording, which included audio. Attorneys said Forbes tased Williams within 15 seconds of arriving on-scene.

The audio cuts out right before Forbes used his Taser the second time. Was the second shot from Officer Michael Forbes’ weapon necessary?

Opening statements to the five-woman, three-man jury on Wednesday were brief, but direct. Attorneys for the prosecution said Williams was not a threat when he was approached by the officer in July of 2011. They say he didn't try to punch, bite or run from Officer Forbes, and only asked why he was detained.

Taser Lawsuit: La'Reko Williams (Charlotte NC)

Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department (CMPD) doesn't have much luck when it comes to taser lawsuits. They were on the losing side of a $10 million lawsuit in the case of 17-year old Darryl Turner, who died in 2008 after a CMPD officer electrocuted him with extensive use of a taser.

Fast forward to July 2011. Again a CMPD police officer got a little overzealous in their efforts to apprehend 21-year old La'Reko Williams. The officer, Michael Forbes, used excessive, deadly force by electrocuting Williams twice with his taser gun.

Williams died.

His parents filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this week against the city of Charlotte, police and Taser International. The lawsuit calls Tasers potentially deadly weapons and says that CMPD officers should only use them when a confrontation calls for deadly force.

The lawsuit says Williams, who stood about 5 feet, 6 inches and weighed about 145 pounds, was unarmed and presented no threat to the officer. Williams was shocked twice in the chest, suffered cardiac arrest and died within minutes.

After Williams died, police suspended their use of Tasers for six months as they investigated the safety of the weapons. In September 2011, the City Council approved $1.83 million to buy new Tasers.

The new Tasers, which police use today, still shoot out 50,000 volts of electricity to incapacitate suspects, but have features designed to prevent officers from injuring or killing suspects. Most importantly, they automatically cut off after five seconds, even if the officer continues pulling the trigger. Police determined that people who were shocked have died when an officer held down the Taser trigger for too long, and said the new Tasers are safer.

This lawsuit may have ramifications beyond the city limits of Charlotte.

Charlotte Police Want a 'Safer' Taser Gun

The Charlotte Police Department suspended use of taser guns after the taser-related killings of 17-year old Darryl Turner and 21-year old La'Reko Williams. After a two-month review the Charlotte Police Department wants to throw out their current inventory of tasers and spend $1.8 million to purchase a new model that is supposed to be safer. [SOURCE]

Among its safety features: the shock stops at five seconds regardless of how long an officer holds the trigger down.

The Charlotte City Council agreed to spend the money for the new tasers.

This blog feels that such a safety feature is a good one. It's a shame that it's taken weekly taser-related deaths for safety to be factored into the creation of these taser guns.

Taser Death: La'Reko Williams (Charlotte, NC)

Last week was a rough one for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD). They were deemed out of control by a federal jury who awarded the family of a taser-killing with a $10 million settlement. Then they went ahead and did it again. This time CMPD officer Michael Forbes pumped 50,000 volts of electricity into the frail body of 21-year old La'Reko Williams -- killing him.

According to CMPD officials, police were called to the CATS Lynx Blue Line station at Woodlawn around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday where a man was allegedly beating and choking a woman. When Officer Michael Forbes and several other officers arrived, they ordered the man -- Williams -- to stop and sit down.

"He gave several orders for the male to desist. As he approached the male, the male got up and started running," CMPD Police Chief Monroe said early Thursday morning. "Officer Forbes gave chase and during the chase, he deployed his Taser."

Williams was knocked unconscious by the taser death-rays and Medic arrived moments later to revive him. Attempts by Medic and doctors at Carolinas Medical Center to revive the man with CPR were unsuccessful.

Less than an hour later, Williams was dead.

The mother of Williams' 1-year-old child said she was not the woman he was allegedly beating Wednesday night, and said she has never known him to be physically violent. She said she was in disbelief that police claim he was hitting and choking another woman.  However, Williams has been arrested twice for assaulting a female and once for assaulting an officer, according to police records.

The police are very quick to share police records when they are trying to avoid troubling taser-related death inquiries. Anyhow, the killer-cop (Forbes) has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the death investigation. Forbes has been a member of CMPD since Sept. 24, 2007.

Taser Lawsuit: Jury Awards $10 Million to Family of Darryl Turner (Charlotte NC)

The shocking taser-killing of 17-year old Darryl Turner by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer was one of the early cases of its kind covered by this blog. We've spent a lot of time covering taser-deaths since then ... but, Turner's case was particularly appalling. A young, vibrant teenager killed because a police officer thought it was a good idea to pump his body with 50,000 volts of electricity for 37 seconds.

The city of Charlotte knew it was wrong. That is why they settled with the family for over $600,000.

However, Taser International continued to hide behind its junk-science of 'excited delirium syndrome'. A federal jury decided it was time to put Taser International in its place. The jury ordered Taser International Inc. to pay $10 million to the family of the 17-year-old teenager who was killed in March 2008 at a Food Lion in northeast Charlotte

Police at the time said the officer violated policy when he shocked Darryl Turner for about 37 seconds (see store surveillance video), contributing to the teen's death. Turner fell to the floor during the confrontation and died.

The jury returned its verdict Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.  Lawyers for Turner's family persuaded jurors that the manufacturer knew the product could cause heart problems if it struck near the heart but failed to warn customers.

Good for them!

There have been hundreds of these taser-related killings in America over the past few years. I hope that we begin to see many more of these successful lawsuits brought against the manufacturer of these taser death-ray guns!

Our prayers remain with the family of Darryl Turner. The money won't bring Darryl back ... but, it does provide some measure of justice against the people who took him away in the first place.

Taser Lawsuit: Darryl Turner (Charlotte, NC)

One of the first taser-killings that this blog tracked took place in Charlotte, NC. 17-year old Darryl Turner was killed by Officer Jerry Dawson, who zapped him twice for a total 37 seconds.

The city of Charlotte never admitted wrongdoing in the incident but paid the Turner family $625,000 to settle the case.

Now the Turner family is taking the fight to the maker of the stun gun.

"We've alleged that Taser (International) became aware of information relating to the inherent dangers concerning the deployment of the Taser into the chest area," attorney Ken Harris said. "This lawsuit is not about whether or not the Taser should be taken away from police departments; it's about how the Taser should be used properly."

The Turner lawsuit against Taser International is expected to go to trial late next year. What are your thoughts on this lawsuit?

Taser Settlement: Darryl Turner (Charlotte)

The City of Charlotte settled for $625,000 with the family of Daryl Turner, a 17-year-old who died in March 2008 after being killed by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer with a taser.

Read more...

5-Day Suspension for Darryl Turner's Taser-Killing Cop

We reported to you earlier that the Charlotte District Attorney refused to press charges against Officer Jerry Dawson for his deadly use of a taser gun on 17-year old Darryl Turner. Turner died after being tased for 37 seconds with 50,000 volts of electricity.

The Charlotte Police Department issued their ruling on the shooting today. While Dawson will keep his job, authorities say the prolonged use of the Taser was not justified and the officer will have to get additional training to use the Taser guns. He has also been suspended for five days.

Punishment for killing a 17-year old boy in Charlotte NC is getting a week's vacation. Does it seem right to you?

Charlotte Says 'No Problem' to Officer Jerry Dawson for Taser-Kill of Unarmed Black Teenager

Charlotte Observer reports that Mecklenburg Assistant District Attorney Marsha Goodenow said Monday Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. was justified in using the Taser on Darryl Turner during a confrontation at a Food Lion earlier this year in Charlotte. The prosecutor said a video camera at the grocery captured the incident between Turner and the police officer. The video shows the teen throwing items at the store manager, then moving toward the officer, she said.

“It's clear he's advancing on the officer,” Goodenow told the Observer. “The officer was justified in using the Taser – which he had been trained was non-deadly force – to control the situation. Unfortunately, it had very tragic results.”

Goodenow said the 17-year old Turner was shocked more than once. Yet the prosecutor claims, "The officer used the appropriate force."

A Taser is a weapon that uses compressed nitrogen to shoot two tethered needle-like probes that deliver an electronic shock. It's designed to temporarily subdue a person, although one study found that the improper use of Tasers has contributed to the death of at least 11 people in North Carolina over the past four years.

Turner's autopsy shows that he died from cardiac arrest. Family attorney Ken Harris said he's still reviewing evidence collected from Food Lion and police. However, he was quick to note that Turner had no intoxicants in his body and that the Taser specifically played a role in his death – a fact rarely mentioned in Taser-related deaths across the country, Harris said.

Co-workers, including a supervisor, said Turner was a reliable employee who had never been reprimanded at work. They said he had some disagreements with the customer service manager, who had asked him to tuck in his shirt and complained about Turner wearing gold teeth and big earrings.

Goodenow said Monday that when Turner returned to the grocery after lunch, a supervisor told him to remove the sucker from his mouth and tuck in his shirt. The teenager began cursing, the prosecutor said. The supervisor, a white woman, called the store manager to report what was happening. She said Turner was cursing and angry, and told the manager she felt threatened and was going to call police.

After the manager arrived, Turner began taunting him to get him to fight, Goodenow said. He threw a plastic counter-top display at the manager, she said, then picked up an umbrella and threw that at the manager. Then he advanced on the manager who was behind the customer service desk.

Goodenow said a witness recalled the police officer, who had witnessed at least part of the confrontation with the manager, yelling: “Freeze. Don't move. Stay where you are.” Turner then began walking toward the officer, who had already pulled his Taser. When Turner was a few feet from Dawson, the officer fired the Taser.

Goodenow said Turner's body stiffened after being shocked, but the teen kept walking. When Turner got to the front of the store he tossed a metal grocery bag holder, she said. It's unclear when the officer fired again or how long the shock lasted.


“He gave the officer a look like he was going to break him in half…,” the manager told police. “I don't know what was bothering him, but he was not himself. The officer told him he needed to stop. And that's the last warning you're going to get. And he just kept on going.”

Villagers, my view remains the same as before. Turner didn't have a weapon. He was just an angry teenager. I suspect that the Food Lion supervisor, Food Lion manager and Officer Jerry Dawson simply over-reacted to the situation because of their pre-conceived fear of 'the angry black man'. They saw a monster and they killed him. I see a 17-year old high school graduate working hard and planning for a future that was snuffed out by taser-happy cop. Personally, I hope that a civil suit puts a big hole in the taser budget of the Charlotte police department.

What say u?

Autosopy: 'No Drugs' for Taser Victim Darryl Turner

You may recall the story of 17-year old Darryl Turner who police killed with a Taser back in March.

We learned this week that Turner's autopsy report says the stress of the situation and the shock from the Taser was too much for his body to handle. It says he died of acute ventricular dysrhythmia and ventricular fibrillation. In other words, his heart was pumping so fast and irregularly that he died.

The report states Turner did not have heart problems and he didn't have drugs in his system except for the medicines emergency workers used trying to save his life.

It stuns me that anyone would think that the police are justified in killing this young man. He did not have a weapon. Police said Turner had been threatening the officer after having disagreement with his employer. It just seems that the penalty for disagreeing with your Food Lion boss should not be execution.

Turner's family has not said whether they plan to sue police. They hired an attorney in March.

Police are doing their own internal investigation to see if the officer who used the Taser followed the rules. That officer is back on active duty after being put on administrative leave following the incident.

I haven't written about taser deaths in a few months. Do you think that the taser issue is slowing down? Have the police been better trained as a result of the incidents we reported on in the past? What say u?

Witness Says Taser-Cop Lied About Darryl Turner

Villagers, a witness from the Food Lion store gives a very different account than police. The attorney for the family claims that he has a witness who says 17-year old Darryl Turner did not threaten the officer before being killed by 50,000 volts from the officer's taser gun. A statement from the witness reads, "The officer told Darryl to ‘step back!’" The witness said Turner simply obeyed the officer's command to step back and was then hit with the Taser. He later died. [SOURCE]

The police are working overtime to find justification for this taser killing ... going so far as to say that the young man suffered from 'Excited Delirium Syndrome'. Personally, I never heard of this syndrome before this week, although I see others were hip to it earlier. Imagine my surprise to learn that there is a blog devoted to this syndrome!

What do you think about these recent taser deaths?

Taser Death: Darryl Turner (North Carolina)

UPDATE: Cops say his death might be 'Excited Delirium'. WTF?

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Drumbeats from Pam's House Blend gave us the sad news about a 17-year old tasered-to-death by Charlotte police for shoplifting his lunch from local grocery store. Turner had worked as a cashier and bagged groceries at the Food Lion at 3024 Prosperity Church Road, where the incident happened.

His mother, Tammy Fontenot, indicates that Turner graduated from Crossroads Charter High School last year. He had wanted to go to Central Piedmont Community College and be a personal trainer. He didn't have any health problems and had never been in trouble, she said.

Around lunchtime on Mar 20, Turner had come home to eat and told his mom that he had stolen a couple of Hot Pockets from the store. A supervisor planned to get a district manager involved and he feared disciplinary action, she said.

She said she told him to go back to the store and face up to what happened. A few hours later she was informed that her son was dead.

Villagers, since when do our young people get the death penalty for shoplifting? What were the police thinking? It is hard for me to understand how the force continuum calls for using a taser on a young man without a weapon (...believe me, if he had a weapon, we would know about it!).

Tasers may have a place in law enforcement, however, it is becoming evident that law enforcement officers in Charlotte and elsewhere need better training on how to use the dayum things. What say u?