Taser Autopsy: Coroner Says Phyllis Owens Died From 50,000-volt Jolt

I suppose that 100% of the deaths in America can be classified as 'heart stopped ticking'. Dr. Larry Lewman, Oregon State medical examiner, says that 87-year old Phyllis Owens died of "chronic heart disease" after he completed her autopsy.

Of course, Dr. Lewman, clarified a little when he added that the manner of death for the octogenarian, who had a pacemaker since 2007, was receiving a 50,000-volt jolt from a Taser fired by a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy. [SOURCE]

"The cause of her death is hypertensive cardio-vascular disease," Lewman said. "But it occurred because of the electric stun gun, which probably intercepted a pacemaker wire."

The two deputies involved in this taser-killing are Steve Shelly and Alan Alderman. Both were placed on administrative leave after the July 8 homicide.

Owens was shot with a Taser after about 15 minutes of negotiations, during which Owens was waving a pellet gun replica of a firearm.

At one point, deputies convinced Owens to put down the pellet gun, which she laid on her porch railing. But when Deputy Alderman advanced toward her, she reached for the pellet gun again.

The other deputy, Steve Shelly, believing Owens was reaching for a handgun, electrocuted her with a Taser. Owens died shortly afterwards.

I guess I need to see a photo of a "pellet gun replica" to understand how trained police officers can't tell the difference between it and a real gun.


Also, I have to wonder what the rush was for these officers. They killed Mrs. Owens after talking with her for 15 minutes? Was their coffee getting cold in the police car? She was contained on the front porch of her own home. These two 'Barney Fife' deputies couldn't wait and talk longer with her ... giving her a chance to calm down?

Anyhow, the next step in this process belongs to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office. They are reviewing the case to determine if criminal charges will be brought against either of the two police officers.

Taser Victim 87-Year Old Phyllis Owens had a Pellet Gun, NOT an Actual Firearm

We now learn that 87-year old Phyllis Owens was electrocuted to death by a taser-happy sheriff's deputy because he couldn't tell the difference between a pellet gun and an actual firearm. [SOURCE]

Clackamas County deputies were called to a mobile home park in Boring after a report that a woman was waving a gun and threatening a man who was excavating a trench.

Deputy Steve Shelly arrived at the scene, hid in the bushes and fired 50,000 volts of deadly electricity into Mrs. Owens. She died about an hour later.

After the incident, deputies learned the gun involved was a black pellet pistol and not a firearm.

Steve Shelly, the deputy who killed this woman, is a 19-year veteran with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Corrections Division, the Oregon City Police Department and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Patrol Division.

Taser Death: Phyllis Owens (Clackamas County, OR)

Two grown-azzed deputy sheriffs felt so scared of an 87-year old woman that they electrocuted her to death on July 8 in the front porch of her Oregon home. The victim is Phyllis Owens. She is unhealthy and suffered from dementia.

Clackamas County sheriff deputy Steve Shelly and his unidentified partner were involved in the taser-related killing. They indicate that she was reaching for a handgun. It seems to me that the police would use a gun if they thought that their lives were in danger from a suspect with a gun. However, in this case Deputy Steve Shelly hid in the shrubs on the front porch and used 50,000 volts from a taser gun ... it just doesn't seem credible that they were in fear of their life. Anyhow, the two deputies have been placed on administrative leave until things can be sorted out.

Dr. Larry Lewman, deputy state medical examiner, said an autopsy revealed that Owens suffered from heart disease and had a pacemaker. He said he needed more information on when she had the pacemaker implanted to determine whether that played a role in her death.

"But let me put it this way: A healthy person would not have died from this," Lewman said.

According to Clackamas County sheriff's deputies, Owens threatened the mobile home park manager with a handgun shortly after 2 p.m. When deputies arrived, Owens was on her porch, still holding the gun. They negotiated with her, trying to calm her down and persuade her to surrender the gun.

Owens put the gun down briefly on her porch railing. But when the deputies advanced, she reached to pick it up again. That's when Deputy Steve Shelly shot Owens with a Taser.

Owens immediately collapsed. Deputies performed CPR in an attempt to revive her. However, she died at a Gresham hospital about an hour later.

It should be interesting to see how this pre-judicial electrocution turns out. In the meantime, I encourage you to share your thoughts. What say u?