Taser-Killer Cop Scott Nugent Goes on Trial in Louisiana

A cautionary tale for all taser-happy police officers is taking place in Winnfield, Louisiana. The manslaughter trial of Scott Nugent begins tomorrow. Readers of this blog may recall that Nugent was the officer who electrocuted 21-year old Barron Pikes back in January 2008. Nugent shocked the young man nine times ... the coroner indicates that the last two jolts of 50,000 volts occurred after Pikes was already dead.

If convicted of both charges, Nugent faces up to 45 years in prison.

George Higgins, one of Nugent's attorneys, said Nugent "looks forward to the trial. ... He has always maintained his innocence and looks forward to having his side of the story finally told."

You can read more about the upcoming trial here.

Trial for Taser-Cop Scott Nugent Begins in February

This blog is please to learn that the manslaughter case of former Winnfield Police Officer Scott Nugent is scheduled to begin on Feb. 9. [SOURCE]

Nugent was indicted in August 2008 for the Jan. 17, 2008, death of Baron "Scooter" Pikes, who died while in police custody after being shot nine times with a Taser gun by Nugent.

It will be nice to see justice done in one of these taser-related killings.

Taser Cop Scott Lugent Faces Wrongful Death Lawsuit

The behavior of law enforcement officials that are too eager to use taser guns changes when they see large consequences. It was good to see taser-happy cop fired in Florida for using taser at party with minors.

In addition to taking away their livelihood ... we now see where the family of a taser victim, Baron Pikes, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against former Louisiana police officer Scott Nugent, Louisiana city officials, and Taser International in relation to a police brutality incident earlier this year.

The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Pikes' wife. He had a four-year-old child who will now grow up fatherless.

Baron Pikes, a 21-year-old from Winnfield, LA, died of cardiac arrest brought on by multiple taser shots. Pikes was tasered nine times by police officer Scott Nugent before his heart gave out. Each taser blast pumped 50,000 volts of electricity into Pikes, who was in handcuffs before ever receiving the first shot.

Nugent was arresting Pikes on a drug possession charge. Winn Parish District Attorney Chris Nevils has charged Nugent with manslaughter, claiming that he used unnecessary force on Pikes by continuously administering taser shots after he had subdued his suspect. Nugent also failed to secure medical attention for Pikes after he collapsed. He was dismissed from the police force after the incident.

Personally, I hope that the Pikes family wins their lawsuit. How about you?

Baron Pike Joins Other Black Men, Women and Children Victimized by Taser-Happy Cops

UPDATE: Former cop Scott Nugent indicted for manslaughter!

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We often discuss improper use of tasers by police. However, I must admit that this story went under the radar for me until reported by Tony Brown, Francis Holland and Howard Witt. Here is Howard's article:

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At 1:28 p.m. last Jan. 17, Baron "Scooter" Pikes was a healthy 21-year-old man. By 2:07 p.m., he was dead.

What happened in the 39 minutes in between--during which Pikes was handcuffed by local police and shocked nine times with a Taser device, while reportedly pleading for mercy--is now spawning fears of a political cover-up in this backwoods Louisiana lumber town infamous for backroom dealings.

Even more ominously, because Pikes was Black and the officer who repeatedly Tasered him is white, racial tensions over the case are mounting in a place that's just 40 miles from Jena, La. Jena is the site of the racially explosive prosecution of six Black teenagers charged with beating a white youth that last year triggered one of the largest American civil rights demonstrations in decades. And in a bizarre coincidence, Pikes turns out to have been a first cousin of Mychal Bell, the lead defendant in the Jena 6 case.

No novelist could have invented Winnfield, a place so steeped in corruption that they built a local museum to try to sanitize it all.

You can read the rest of the article here.

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I am tired of reading these stories about Black men, blind men, women, pregnant women and children irresponsibly tased by the police.

I've taken time to document and understand the use of force continuum to better understand when tasers are supposed to be used. Yet, I see no excuse for the homicidal behavior of police officers in Winnfield LA or Charlotte NC.

I join with African American Political Pundit in saying, "We are not against taser use as an alternative to deadly force. We are however against taser abuse by rogue cops who consider the taser an apartheid electrocution whip of the 21st century."

I suspect that you will hear more and more about taser abuse from other bloggers in the afrosphere. What say u?

Scott Nugent, Taser-Killer Cop Fired and Facing Murder Charges

Seeking to defuse growing racial tensions in the small Louisiana town of Winnfield, the local district attorney announced Monday that he will seek an indictment against a white police officer for the death of a Black man who was shocked nine times with a Taser device while handcuffed in police custody.

Winn Parish District Atty. Chris Nevils said he would convene a grand jury Aug. 12 to consider possible charges against the officer, Scott Nugent, 21, who was fired from the Winnfield Police Department following the death of Baron "Scooter" Pikes.

Pikes, 21, died Jan. 17 within 39 minutes of being arrested on a drug possession warrant. His death has been ruled a homicide.

In his own written report of the Pikes' incident, Nugent acknowledged that he had subdued and handcuffed Pikes after a foot chase and that Pikes had not struggled or resisted arrest. Instead, Nugent wrote, he began tasering Pikes after the suspect did not respond quickly enough to Nugent's order to stand up and walk to a waiting police car.

Witnesses reported that Pikes had pleaded with Nugent and two other arresting officers to stop tasering him.

Click here to read the full story from Howard Witt.