Showing posts with label Howard Hammon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Howard Hammon. Show all posts

September 5, 2011

Taser Killing of Howard Hammon is Ruled a 'Homicide'

Howard Hammon
Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's investigation has ruled the death of Howard Hammon a homicide. Villagers will recall that Hammon was tasered fives times by Middleburg Heights Police after a traffic accident in June. [SOURCE]

The medical examiner's investigation found Hammond was high at the time of his struggle with police. Tests revealed he had several drugs in his system. Even so, it appears that pumping 50,000 volts of electricity into someone's body within a short period of time ain't such a good idea. In this case, it is homicide and may end up with criminal charges against the taser-happy police officers.

A police dashcam video of Hammon's arrest shows him struggling with police for several minutes after refusing to be handcuffed. Hammon's family has called for the officers to be criminally charged. Middleburg Heights Police Chief John Maddox says his officers acted properly and cited Hammon's long arrest record.

Someone may need to point out that a past arrest record and the fact that someone is resisting arrest ... is not a reason for extra-judicial electrocution resulting in death. The death penalty should not be applied by the police on unarmed citizens. Hopefully we will see the district attorney move forward with criminal charges.

June 18, 2011

Eyewitness to Taser-Killing of Howard Hammon: 'It Was Like a Rodney King Beating'

Middleburg Heights police chief John Maddox still claims that his officers didn't do anything wrong when they killed an unarmed 41-year old man last week. However, an eyewitness has come forward to say what he saw Middleburg Heights officers do to a man was like watching the Rodney King video. [SOURCE]

Howard Hammon was electrocuted by taser at least five times because he didn't show the proper respect to a police officer.

But a new witness says it's what police did after Hammon was on the ground that is most disturbing to him. He claims one officer stomped on Hammon's head at least twice with his foot, while two other officers kneed him repeatedly in the rib cage, and yet another officer was punching him in the side.




Hammon would later die after being left face down in the grass for five minutes. When paramedics arrived he wasn't breathing and had no pulse.

The witness who has come forward says he did so because his conscience couldn't handle not saying something.

It is hard to see how the police can justify this murder?!

June 16, 2011

Taser Death: Howard Hammon (Middleburg Heights, OH)

Howard Hammon
It happened again. This time a 41-year old man was electrocuted by Middleburg Heights (OH) police officers after he was involved in a traffic accident. The police in this case are already beginning to look suspicious. The police are spinning the story as quickly as they can to place the blame on the victim, Howard Hammon.


The basic facts of the case appear clear. Howard Hammons was alive on Monday evening at 11:00 PM. He was driving and got involved in a car accident. The driver of the other car said Hammon stopped and asked her if she was OK.

Police arrived on the scene of the accident. Instead of helping a man who was obviously dazed from the car accident ... they went into 'gestapo' mode and pumped Hammon's body with 50,000 volts of electricity four or five times. Once he was knocked out from the electrocution he was handcuffed.

Unfortunately for the police it turns out that Hammon was dead. He was rushed to the hospital where his death was confirmed.


Here is where the police try to taint the public perception of Hammon. They claim Hammon resisted efforts to handcuff him, and officers took him to the ground. The man, more than 6 feet tall and 275 pounds, continued to struggle with officers after they warned him that he would be shocked if he did not stop.

The first time he was shocked he was unfazed. After the second time, officers were able to link two sets of handcuffs on him and he stayed on the ground.   The police don't mention that they used their taser guns at least twice more before they were done.

The police also wanted the police to know that Hammon had a marijuana joint clip in his pocket. Why was that factoid important? Does having marijuana paraphernalia justify execution?

Of course the police were not as honest in their approach to the family. The family was informed that Hammon died in an auto accident. They didn't realize that he had been electrocuted until they saw the reports on television.







"How could they do that to a person? What if that was their brother? I loved him with all my heart," said Hammon's sister, Neva Hammon.

"They executed my son. That's cowboy action," said Hammon's father, Howard Hammon, Sr.
John Maddox
Middleburg Heights Police Chief John Maddox says that his police officers decided it was best for the hospital to break the news to the family about what happened.

When asked why the hospital failed to inform the family about the extra-judicial electrocution, Maddox said he wasn't sure why that wasn't mentioned.
"They told us he died from hitting the windshield. Or maybe his chest from hitting the airbag. That's what the doctors told us," said Neva Hammon.
The police indicate that the arrest was caught on their patrol car's video camera. Well, they say that "most" of the arrest is on film. The end of the arrest appears to be unavailable. I imagine that will be the part of the tape where Hammon was killed.

This taser-killing seems suspicious to me. What say u?