Taser Lawsuit: Ronald Eugene Cobbs (Greensboro, NC)

This blog shared information about the taser-related death of 38-year old Ronald Cobbs last year in Greensboro, NC. Cobbs had been in jail for over a year when the folks in the Guilford County jail electrocuted him twice with a taser.

We learned from CorrectionsOne.com that Cobbs' wife, Tricolia, filed a lawsuit Guilford County Superior Court accusing the sheriff, Guilford County Sheriff's Office and Prison Health Services of negligence in the Aug. 19, 2009, death of her husband. The family is seeking triple damages under the state's Wrongful Death Act.

The family accuses the defendants of using excessive force and having insufficient medical tools or training to handle a patient who has been hit with a 50,000-volt Taser.

"You shouldn't die if you are waiting in jail on charges. It shouldn't be a death sentence," Steve Bowden, the attorney representing the family, said.

Sheriff BJ Barnes said separate investigations had cleared his deputies of any wrongdoing.

In July, the district attorney announced that the officers acted appropriately and without excessive force, and provided appropriate medical attention.

An autopsy did not determine a cause of death. Cobb 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 report.

The state's chief medical examiner did include in the report that he believes restraints played a role in the death. Cobbs had been handcuffed and shackled at the ankles.

Cobbs had been in jail for about a year, his family said. He was awaiting trial on charges of kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon and a probation violation.

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 Death: Ronald Eugene Cobbs (Greensboro, NC)

It happened again! This time we learn that an inmate in the Guilford County Jail died after a detention officer used a Taser on him during a scuffle inside the jail on August 18. [SOURCE]

Ronald Eugene Cobbs, 38, of Greensboro, was being held in the jail on charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and a probation violation. Cobbs was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The police say that Cobbs resisted and assaulted a detention officer when the officer was trying to recover contraband in Cobbs' cell. An unnamed officer physically attempted to make Cobbs comply and thought it would be a good idea to pump Cobbs with 50,000 volts from a Taser gun.

Cobbs was then restrained, handcuffed and shackled. When Cobbs became unconscious the officers realized that they messed up big time. They rushed Cobbs to the hospital ... but, it was too late.

Sheriff BJ Barnes of Guilford County said that Cobbs' death is a sad event.

"I hate it for the family and for the officers," Barnes said. "I want the public to know and have confidence that everything was done that should have been done and the investigation will show exactly what happened."

The sheriff appears to have no compassion for the family of the dead man. He appears to have been a bad guy ... however, the penalty for being disrespectful to a prison guard ain't death.

This is the 31st taser-related death in America this year. I still think that something is seriously wrong with the current taser policy in our country. Something is wrong when our law enforcement officials are killing an average of one person per week with these so-called 'non-lethal' weapons.

It is popular to blame the deaths on the victims. However, the excuse that I keep hearing is basically, 'Shyt Happens'.

Villagers ... This continual killing is unacceptable ... especially when we see that over 40% of these taser deaths are African American men. I renew my call for congressional hearings on these taser-torture deaths. Please sign our online petition to support this call to action!