Independent Autopsy Says Taser-Killing of Craig Prescott Was Not an Accident

38-year old Craig Prescott, a former sheriff's deputy, died in a taser-related killing back in April 2009 while he was in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail. The original autopsy concluded that the death was accidental. [SOURCE]

The autopsy ruling didn't seem right to Prescott's family. They commissioned an independent autopsy on April 15 by Dr. David Posey (Glenoaks Pathology Medical Center). Dr. Posey's autopsy concludes that the accident was not an accident. This autopsy report says that Prescott died from a lack of oxygen to the brain during a struggle with jailers.

Marilyn Prescott, Craig Prescott's mother, said she believes jail officials subdued her son in a manner that suffocated him, so they are responsible for his death.

"He was deprived of oxygen, so he couldn't breathe," she said. "It just saddens me to read this report, because now I know this was an egregious act."

The Stanislaus County coroner's office conducted its own autopsy a day after Prescott's death and released a report of its findings in early June. Pathologist Dr. Eugene Carpenter performed the autopsy under contract with the coroner's office.

Sheriff Adam Christianson has said jail officials followed departmental guidelines in trying to restrain and move Prescott.

In early October, Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager said the jail officials were not responsible for Prescott's death. He died in a Modesto hospital two days after deputies at the jail used Tasers and pepper spray to subdue him when he acted out in their custody.

Fladager's report culminated a six-month inquiry into whether jail deputies acted criminally April 11 in subduing Prescott. She determined they did not, citing a coroner's report that said Prescott died of hypertensive heart disease and determined his death was accidental.

Posey's independent autopsy concluded a different cause of death.

What is Mississippi Hiding in Frederick Jermaine Carter Lynching?

Soulclap to Ronald Herd for pointing out some tangible action that villagers can take to support the family of Frederick James Carter. Carter is the 26-year old African American found hanging from an oak tree in Greenwood, Mississippi back in December 2010. Prior to his death, Carter’s stepfather, a painter, said he and Carter were working in Greenwood and that Carter wandered off after he was instructed to go and get some tools.


The county sheriff ruled the death a suicide and most white folks in Mississippi agreed with him. These folks note that Carter had spent eight months in the state mental hospital in 2008, and tried to kill himself by drug overdose and cutting himself.

Most Black folks in Mississippi disagree. After all, Greenwood is about 12 miles from Money, Miss., the place where 14-year old Emmett Till was lynched after he allegedly made remarks to a white woman.

I don't know the truth. I do know that it is not a good sign to learn that the autopsy of Carter's body has not been publicly released yet. The first autopsy was completed by a local political hack -- Leflore County coroner Debra Sanders. The second autopsy was completed by a competent medical examiner from out-of-state. The second autopsy cannot be released to the public until the first one has been released.

What is Leflore County and the state of Mississippi hiding from us? If the death was truly a suicide then you have to wonder why they aren't releasing the autopsy results to the public?





Here is where 'villagers' come in.  Please let Gov. Haley Barbour know you want the first autopsy results officially released so that the truth can finally come out:

Phone:   

1-877-405-0733 or 601-359-3150

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 139
Jackson, Mississippi 39205

E-mail:  

governor@governor.state.ms.us
 

Also contact the U.S. Department of Justice:
 

By Mail:
Correspondence to the Department, including the Attorney General, may be sent to:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
 

By Phone:
Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000
Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line - 202-353-1555
 

E-Mail:
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov

Please visit http://www.andjusticeforus.org/ for future updates.

Autopsy Report: Taser Contributed to Death of Robert Mitchell

We had some movement in the death-by-Taser case of 16-year old Robert Mitchell. Villagers may recall that this was the 5'2" teenager chased into a vacant house by Warren (MI) police officers a couple of months ago. The youngster was unarmed. The police decided to pump Robert Mitchell with 50,000 volts of pure electricity instead of following the 'Use of Force Continuum' policy to gain custody of this diminutive teenager.

The medical examiner says that a heart condition most likely aggravated by the use of a Taser caused Mitchell's death. Mitchell is one of 22 people dead-by-Taser so far this year in America.

The manner of death for 110-pound Robert Mitchell is listed as "indeterminate" in a 10-page autopsy report completed by forensic pathologist Cheryl L. Loewe and signed May 28 by Macomb County Chief Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz. [SOURCE]

"The heart condition is the immediate cause of death," said Loewe. "Certainly, we cannot ignore the time relationship when Robert was Tasered and then found unresponsive and went into arrhythmia, coupled with the fact that Taser probes were applied over the chest.

"In a healthy adult, it's unlikely an arrhythmia may have been precipitated by a Taser. This is a unique case because of the underlying heart disease."

Of course the Warren Police Department has already moved on. The taser-wielding officer had a 3-day weekend after the killing. There is no further effort to punish the man who killed this young Black child.

Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said "We do support the officer that used the Taser. It was justified, there had been an internal investigation conducted," Dwyer said. "The (Macomb County) prosecutor's office also ruled he's exonerated. The prosecutor agrees with us -- it was justified."

Mitchell's mother, Cora Renea Mitchell, who also picked up the autopsy report, said she's hoping the information will bring answers and closure to her family.

"Today is a new day," she said. "I want to go over it and really see what I find."

The autopsy said Mitchell suffered two Taser probe-related injuries -- above and below the nipple -- on the left side of his chest. The autopsy didn't reveal any other signs of injury to Mitchell's body.

"We know the Taser contributed to his demise. We want justice," Mitchell's grandmother, Charlotte McGlory, said this morning. "We want them (police) charged with first-degree murder and prosecuted."

The police had this child under control. They were patting him down. The youngster is small (5'2") and doesn't weigh much (110 pounds). These are factors that the district attorney will need to consider as decision to file charges against the Warren police officer are made. What possible justification can there be to kill this kid with a taser?

How Long Does a Taser-Related Autopsy Take to Complete?

I guess I'm spoiled. I've seen the medical examiners from major cities like Las Vegas, Miami and New York complete the autopsy process with quickness. I've learned that if a victim is Jewish then the coroner works to complete the autopsy within the first 24 hours.

It boggles my mind that it takes coroner's in other cities so long to complete the autopsy process when a taser-related victim is laid out in front of them. For example, 17-year old Derek Jones died in January 8, 2009 after being tased by a local police officer in Martinsville, VA ... a town of only 14,543 people. It's a small town. However, authorities continue to wait on autopsy reports. [SOURCE]

This is a pattern that we've seen in other taser-related deaths. This is another reason that we need a federal probe. Have you signed our online petition asking for congressional hearings on taser torture?

Taser Autopsy: Coroner Rules that Death of Edmund Gutierrez is 'Homicide'

Edmund Gutierrez will never celebrate his 23rd birthday.  He died on July 5th after a violent struggle with Imperial (CA) police officers.  The autopsy report labels Gutierrez's death as a homicide.  The question that needs to be answered by the local district attorney is whether this homicide will lead to criminal charges against the unidentified Imperial police officer who pulled the trigger.

The autopsy report says the cause of death was “agitated behavior associated with alcohol and marijuana intake needing restraint and other unknown factors.”  The report also details significant blunt force trauma to Gutierrez. It mentions multiple abrasions and contusions to Gutierrez’s face, mouth, abdomen, back, arms and legs.

The report also reveals that there were eleven marks consistent with police baton marks on Gutierrez’s legs.

The police are quick to point out that had a blood alcohol level of 0.16, which is twice the legal limit. The toxicology report also showed that Gutierrez had marijuana in his system.

Friends and family continue to seek justice for Gutierrez. They are upset about the lack of journalistic reporting on his death.   They hope that the release of this autopsy report will bring them closer to justice and truth.   You can learn more on the Justice for Gutierrez Facebook page.

Taser Death Grand Jury: Kevin LaDay (Lumberton TX)

Hardin County district attorney David Sheffield gave the taser-killing case of 35-year old Kevin LaDay to the grand jury.

LaDay is one of the 36 people taser-killed by police this year in America. According to Lumberton (TX) police, LaDay ran from them when they tried to do a field sobriety test. Police used a Taser on him during a struggle and he died at a hospital.
An autopsy report released by Justice of the Peace Vi McGinnis indicated LaDay died from PCP toxicity and his death was ruled accidental.

The family claims officers beat LaDay. The county autopsy showed no evidence of that. LaDay's family had a second autopsy done and an attorney for the family said there were discrepancies with the first autopsy.

It is now up to the grand jury to determine if officers acted properly. When the grand jury is finished with the case the FBI will send its report to the Justice Department.

Personally, I hope that it is enough to gain the attention of Congressional Black Caucus. I want them to hold hearings. How about you?

District Attorney Refuses to Release Autopsy Report in Taser Death of Jamaal Valentine

Galveston County Medical Examiner Stephen Pustilnik has finished an autopsy report on Jamaal Valentine.

Villagers may remember that Valentine is the 27-year old Black man killed by La Marque (TX) police officers who got into a fight after being called to the site to give help because of the victim's possible heart attack. Valentine died on May 17.

The autopsy report is being kept hidden by the powers-that-be in Texas. Galveston County District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said his office is opposing the release of the report to the public while his office investigates the Valentine case. [SOURCE]

There is no confirmation that Valentine had any drugs in his system the night he got into the tussle with police. It is likely that the police and district attorney are afraid to publish the autopsy report because it will clearly show that the unnecessary electrocution of Jamaal Valentine with 50,000 volts of electricity from the police taser gun was the cause of death.

“It is still an ongoing investigation, and we are still reviewing the evidence,” Sistrunk said. “There may very well be a need to have follow-up interviews with the witnesses that the Sheriff’s Office has spoken with, or other witnesses who have yet to come forward, and it is in the best interests of everyone concerned that we do all we can to avoid even the hint of impropriety by providing the impetus, so to speak, of an allegation that a witness didn’t come forward until after all the findings were released and their recollection was thus subject to an allegation of being influenced by the M.E.’s findings, if they were released.”

Sistrunk said he would be meeting with Valentine’s family next week to update them on the progress of the investigation. Hopefully, the public will be updated as well. There have been 21 taser-related deaths in America so far this year. Isn't it time for us to get all the facts?

Taser Autopsy: Edward Buckner (Chattanooga TN)

Sometimes I think that powers-that-be feel that we are Boo Boo the Fool. Boo Boo used to fall for all the wacky statements made by Yogi the Bear. The Hamilton County Medical Examiner's office released the autopsy for 53-year old Edward Buckner earlier today. Villagers may recall that Mr. Buckner was shocked THREE TIMES by a rogue cop the day after Thanksgiving. Buckner died moments after the third time that 50,000 volts of electricity were pumped through his body.

So, what did the coroner, Dr. F.K. King conclude in his autopsy report?

Dr. King says that Mr. Buckner died of NATURAL CAUSES: "In my opinion the taser event did not cause the death or make significant contribution to the death. At autopsy there were no significant injuries or signs of foul play."

'NATURAL CAUSES'?!? Yeah, just call me Boo Boo the Fool.
Anyhow, you can read the entire Medical Examiner's Report.

Erlanger, where the taser-killing took place, has remained largely silent on the incident, saying that out of respect to all parties involved they won't comment on an ongoing criminal investigation. This afternoon, they released the following statement:

"With full recognition that this was an unfortunate and tragic event, we now know the results of the medical examiner's report and can now move forward and complete our own review. Once we have had the opportunity to study the full report from the medical examiner, as well as the results of the CPD investigation, we will complete a thorough internal review of this incident and respond accordingly."

I hope that somebody in the powers-that-be ivory tower get a little more honest in their reviews and investigations. 'Natural Causes' ain't gonna fly ... after all, WE AIN'T Boo-Boo-the-Fool!

Mississippi Coroner Signs Off on Frederick Jermaine Carter's Autopsy Results

Dr. Adel Shaker

Soulclap to W.E. A.L.L. B.E. for breaking news about the imminent release of the autopsy results in the hanging death of Frederick Jermaine Carter.  Dr. Adel Shaker, the Deputy Medical Examiner for the state of Mississippi, says that he will be mailing the autopsy results to the Carter family tomorrow morning.

Another Taser Death in America -- Derrek Kairney (Connecticut)

Derrek Kairney is a 36-year old man who died after been shocked with 50,000 volts of electricity from a police officer on June 20, 2009. The powers-to-be completed an autopsy in less than 48 hours over the weekend. When is the last time you've seen an autopsy report issued so quickly?

Anyhow, the autopsy report claims that the man died in a suicide. Apparently, the man stabbed himself with a knife ... and after he died, the police shot him with a taser gun. What the heck caused the police to use a taser gun on this guy? Doesn't it seem that the police are pulling out the taser gun for recreational target shooting more than for its intended purpose?

Police call this an 'untimely death'. They say Kairney confronted them when they responded to a call to a home on Birch Road. They ordered him to drop the knife, but he refused and police electrocuted him with a Taser.

There is something not-quite-right about this taser-related death. What say u?

Taser Death: Jose Martinez (Waukegan, IL)

An unidentified Waukegan police officer electrocuted 53-year Jose Martinez on May 29 for no good reason. Martinez was unarmed. Martinez was not threatening himself or others. The unidentified police officer simply didn't think that the life of Martinez was worth taking the time to do something other than pull a taser gun and jolt 50,000 volts of electricity into his body. [SOURCE]

Details remain sketchy on the circumstances surrounding the taser-related death of Jose Martinez. It is possible that Martinez was targeted by mistake.

The details we know are simple. Jose Martinez, the father of three grown sons, was over 6 feet tall and weighed about 250 pounds. A graduate of Waukegan High School, he served in the Marine Corps from 1975 to 1977. The unidentified Waukegan police officer pulled his taser gun and used it. Martinez stopped breathing and was taken to Vista Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Lake County Coroner (and blogger) Dr. Richard Keller is trying to pull a fast one on the public. The initial autopsy report says that Martinez suffered a cardiac arrest (in other words, his heart stopped pumping).

Dr. Keller knows that his heart attack would not have occurred this past weekend without 50,000 volts of electricity being shot thru his body by the police.   

"He did have a heart condition, demonstrated on autopsy," Keller said. "We listed cause of death as heart condition and tasering as a contributing factor to his death."

The cause of death should have been ruled HOMICIDE. Instead, we get this "cardiac arrest" bullshyt.   This is not the first time that Dr. Keller has been accused of unethical behavior.

Waukegan Police Chief Artis Yancey said the death is under investigation by the Lake County Major Crime Task Force and declined to elaborate. I suspect that Chief Yancey knows that his police officer did wrong and that is why you don't hear the usual comments from him about 'standing behind the officer 100%' or 'the officer followed all taser procedures'.  Of course, the fact that Yancey is known to sleep with the wives of his officers may be one reason he is keeping a low profile.

The powers-that-be in Waukegan rushed the autopsy and tried to cover-up the taser electrocution for a number of days. The wife of Mr. Martinez was not notified of his death for four (4) days.

Rick Martinez, the victim's brother, a U.S. Army helicopter pilot who lives outside of Atlanta, Ga., said Jose might have been misidentified by police, who were called to the store on a complaint of a disturbance by someone who was panhandling.

Armando Martinez, 58, of Waukegan, another brother of the victim and a former Waukegan police officer, said the woman who was clerking Saturday night told the family that it was a different man who was causing problems at the store. He said he heard that police chased Martinez in the parking lot, stopped him with a Taser, then couldn't revive him.

"I was devastated," said Martinez, who left the police force after he was stabbed breaking up a bar room fight about 20 years ago. "Until the task force releases its report, we won't know -- was use of a Taser justified. We will find out what happened, then we'll see what action the family wants to take," Martinez said.

I think that the police made a big mistake on this one. What say u?

Taser Autopsy: Marcus Moore (Freeport, IL)

It is remarkable how often the police use a taser gun on the walking dead. We continue to see autopsy reports that conclude a taser-victim died from drug use ... the inference is that they would have dropped dead within moments ... even without 50,000 volts of electricity being jolted into them.

That is the case with 40-year old Marcus Moore. Moore died on March 28, 2009, at Rockford Memorial Hospital, two days after struggling with local police during his arrest on robbery charges. During the incident, officers used a Taser gun on Moore, but the final autopsy report indicates that Moore’s cocaine use was to blame for his death. [SOURCE]

The guy is in the hospital for two days ... and his cause of death is cocaine? It must have been a ton of cocaine in his system, right?

Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia said Friday that Moore had 178,968 nanograms per milliliter of cocaine metabolite in his system at the time of his death, which she indicated is an extreme amount. If Moore would have exerted himself in any way following that much cocaine use, it would likely have killed him, Fiduccia said.

“You cannot live with that kind of cocaine in your system,” Fiduccia said.

NANOGRAM?!? Am I the only one that has *never* heard of cocaine or any other substance in our kitchen being measured by the NANO-level?

You already know that I think our taser policy in America is severely flawed when it results in the DEATH of 35 Americans in a year. That seems like an unacceptably large number. However, I suspect that it will take the taser death of a community leader or famous person before the rest of the nation will sit up and take notice. In the meantime, this blog will continue to monitor and report on taser-related deaths.

Taser Autopsy * Was It Drugs or Taser That Killed Edward Stevenson (Leavenworth KS)?

The powers-that-be in Leavenworth, Kansas don't want to be liable for multi-million dollar lawsuits or potential criminal charges for their extra-judicial electrocution of 46-year old Edward Stevenson. They are trying to get the public to look elsewhere for the cause of his death.

A preliminary autopsy report says Edwards, who died while in police custody, was under the influence of cocaine and had underlying health problems. The autopsy also found that Stevenson had an enlarged heart and the altercation with police may have been secondary contributing factors in his death.

Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens wants us to know that Stevenson may have been under the influence of alcohol and opiates. [SOURCE]

I encourage villagers to use a little commonsense. Stevenson was handcuffed and sitting in the back of a police cruiser. He would be alive today if unidentified Leavenworth police officers didn't electrocute him three times with their taser guns. Officers eventually used physical force to subdue him ... and the man died.

The penalty for using drugs or being under the influence of alcohol should be the lost of brain cells. The penalty for such an offense is not supposed to be the DEATH PENALTY. The powers-that-be in Leavenworth hope that you won't use commonsense as you analyze this taser-related death ... one of 90 such deaths over the past 85 weeks.

What say u?

Taser Autopsy: Ronald Eugene Cobbs (Greensboro, NC)

The powers-that-be continue to rally the troops to avoid accountability for taser-related deaths. Villagers may recall that 38-year old Ronald Eugene Cobb died, in August 2009, shortly after an unidentified prison jailer pumped his body with 50,000 volts of electricity from a taser gun.

The autopsy report was released earlier this week.

"The exact cause of this man's death is unclear though it occurred during the application of restraint and that restraint in my opinion played a role," the examiner, Dr. John Butts, wrote in the report.

Butts said Cobbs could have died of respiratory arrest or cardiac arrhythmia caused by an underlying cardiac disease, both triggered by the stress of the struggle.

According to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, a guard was trying to recover unidentified contraband from Cobbs’ cell when the inmate resisted and assaulted the officer.

The guard, who has not been named, initially tried to physically restrain Cobbs before using a Taser gun on him. Cobbs was stunned, but did not go down. He was then pushed down and his hands were handcuffed behind his back.

“During this process he is “drive tasered” in the back,” the report stated. “He is picked up and carried face down to an elevator and taken to a nursing station.”

Cobbs didn’t speak or show evidence of voluntary movement after the second takedown. Cobbs had not been in an “agitated state” before the brief incident. The autopsy revealed only minor evidence of injury, including marks around the inmate’s wrists consistent with handcuffs.

Minor evidence of injury? I imagine that 50,000 volts of electricity that stops the heart from beating doesn't leave much evidence ... other than the inconvenience of a dead body.

The next step in this process is to learn whether or not the district attorney plans to bring changes against the unidentified law enforcement officer for the curious death that occured in his jurisdiction.

Taser Autopsy: Anastasio Hernandez-Rojas Death is Ruled a 'Homicide'

Homicide. That is the ruling of the San Diego Medical Examiner's officer in the taser electrocution of Anastasio Hernandez-Rojas. The autopsy results also indicate that methamphetamine abuse and hypertension were contributing factors.

Hernandez-Rojas was beaten and tasered while in the custody of Custom Border Patrol (CBP) agents last week. He died Monday afternoon at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in Chula Vista, California.

The Mexican government said the autopsy results "support the strong condemnation the government of Mexico made from the outset, publicly demanding through diplomatic channels a thorough and impartial investigation."

Mexico has asked for an explanation about what happened to Hernandez while he was in U.S. custody.

"One of the agents used a baton to administer to the subject to get him to stop fighting," said San Diego homicide Capt. Jim Collins. "When that was not successful, they used the Taser."

U.S. officials declined to comment aside from a brief statement:

"Customs and Border Protection regrets the loss of life and awaits the results of a complete investigation into this incident."

Does anyone know the name of the unidentified CBP agent that shot the taser gun? Any thoughts, insights or updates that you can share with us?

Autopsy Report: Coroner Won't Admit Taser Involved in Death of Charles Anthony Torrence

The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office completed autopsy on 36 year-old Charles Anthony Torrence. Torrence is the Simi Valley man who died after struggling with several police officers who were trying to arrest him last week.

Chief Medical Examiner Ronald O'Halloran said his staff is still "unsure" of how he died. O'Halloran said he is waiting for toxicology results, which can take up to four months to be released.

Read more here.

Does anyone know where we can get a copy of either the police report or the autopsy report for this case?

Taser Autopsy: Coroner Lists Death of Michael Ford as 'Accidental'

The Oakland County Medical Examiner completed their autopsy of 50-year old Michael Ford. Villagers may recall that Ford was taken off life support earlier this week after a confrontation with Livonia Police Department that resulted in a taser gun being used on him. After being tased ... Ford violently hit his head on the ground. The coroner says that the cause of death was the blunt force head injury ... an accident ... not the use of the taser. [SOURCE]

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:

“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.”

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.

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.

Taser Autopsy: Coroner Unsure if Taser Contributed to Death of Curtis Robinson

The family of Curtis Robinson is still seeking answers. The coroner indicates in his report that there is no way to tell if the multiple jolts from the taser of an unidentified Albuquerque police officer contributed to his death.







The most recent autopsy reveals that while the manner of death is still undetermined the cause was due to cocaine intoxication. Unidentified Albuquerque police officers say they were forced to use their taser on him after he became violent with them. They thought that Robinson was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

According to police, officers approached Robinson back in June after seeing him slamming a young child, who turned out to be his 3-year-old daughter, against the dashboard of a car he had just crashed into a pole.

Robinson fell ill later on June 11 and died the next day.

An autopsy conducted in June did not provide enough evidence to determine the cause of death.

Taser Autopsy: Death of Anastasio Hernandez is 'Unclear'

I have to admit that I often think that doctors aren't much more different than witch doctors. Both professions seem to guess without any real answers. San Diego medical examiner Glenn Wagner did the autopsy on 42-year old Anastasio Hernandez ... a man tasered-to-death by unidentified US Border Patrol agents.

He says that he still can't tell what caused the death of Hernandez.

Wagner's autopsy report characterizes Hernandez' methamphetamine blood level of 0.16 milligrams per liter as acute but lists it as only one of several potential causes. He says it's also unclear how much blame to assign to the taser gun, Hernandez' agitated state and the position in which he was restrained by law enforcement officers.

It appears that we will have to wait for the legal system to determine who is responsible for the death of the 42-year-old father of five U.S.-born children came to the U.S. when he was 14.

Taser Death: Patrick Burns (Sangamon County, IL)

Patrick Burns, 50, was tased 15 times by Sangamon County deputies, after they were called to the scene of a residential break-in. When they arrived at the 1400 block of North Wesley Street in Grandview, they found Patrick Burns in the yard, dressed only in a shirt and underwear. He had sustained cuts from allegedly breaking into a house.

A guy standing around in his skivvies and the police feel a need to pump 50,000 volts of electricity into him 15 times ... and they wonder why he died?

Deputies later learned that Burns lived nearby and reportedly had been involved in a domestic dispute.

After he allegedly refused deputies commands and resisted, deputies shot Patrick Burns with a Taser stun gun multiple times.

A nurse at the hospital said he had been tased 15 times.

“I don’t understand why a person needs to be Tased 15 times. Especially when they’re unarmed," Richard Burns, the brother of Patrick Burns said.

The sheriff’s office called in Illinois State Police to review how the situation was handled. Sheriff Neil Williamson has said he stands behind the deputies and their multiple taser gun shots.

Burns was taken to Memorial Medical Center, where his condition deteriorated. Burns died on January 28. Burns was an internal auditor for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and formerly worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation. He is survived by two daughters and numerous other family members.
Family members say they had a private autopsy done but haven't received any results. Richard Burns said the autopsy requested by the family was conducted by two certified forensic pathologists.

I can't recall another case where the police shot a guy 15 times. Unbelievable that the autopsy wasn't inconclusive. However, it is less surprising when you realize that the Sangamon County police find taser gun activity to be funny. This video is from the same police department that placed the following video on the Internet.