VIDEO: Lucinda White is the Pregnant Woman Tasered by Aggressive Cops (Sangamon County IL)

It looks like the taser training provided to law enforcement in Sangamon County didn't have much affect. The cops in Sangamon County thought it was a good idea to electrocute Lucinda White, 29, a pregnant woman in a local shopping mall parking lot. When I first heard the story I thought she must have been an armed shoplifter or something.

Nope.

She was a few days from giving birth to her child. She was unarmed. She was the victim of car vandalism. And none of that mattered to the police officer who felt that she disrespected him.  He reached for 50,000 volts of electricity to put her down.

The incident was captured on the smartphone of another driver in the car park. It begins with White appearing to separate her boyfriend and the police officer. Another officer then approaches the scene, he first tasers Thomas, before attempting to wrestle White to the ground. She can be heard screaming that she is pregnant, while he commands her to get on the ground. Then he tasers her.

Watch the video:



The police officer felt disrespected. He didn't bother with details or information. He went right to physical confrontation with a short Black pregnant woman. Do you think he would have done the same with a middle-aged white woman?

The sad thing is that Lucinda White had actually called the police to intervene in a fender bender disagreement that she and boyfriend Frederic Thomas, 31, were having with another man.  White accused the man of hitting her car, which he denied, and she called Springfield police to resolve the situation.

I imagine that the police are going to say that the pregnant woman brought this taser-abuse on herself. White denies touching the police officer. ‘I'm pulling on my daughter's father. I did not touch a police officer. I know not to touch a police officer.’ [SOURCE]

One eyewitness to the incident said, ‘They told her get down on the ground face down, and she's trying to plead with them “I can't get on the ground, I'm pregnant. I can't do that,” and they told her once again. And she, she's just trying to plead with them and then right away they hit her with the taser.'

It doesn't matter. White and her boyfriend were arrested and spent the weekend in jail. I suspect that this won't be the last that the Springfield police see of Ms. White. The next time will be in a courtroom trying to settle a million-dollar lawsuit for excessive force.

Taser Lawsuit: Patrick Burns (Sangamon County, IL)

Sometimes it takes a financial jolt to get folks to change behavior. That is what the family of Patrick Burns hopes will happen to the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office. It is one of the reasons that the family has sued Sheriff Neil Williamson and several deputies, claiming that excessive force by the police led to Burns' death.

“My brother is dead, and we believe as a result of flaws that exist in the system,” Richard Burns said in an interview. “If there wasn’t a wrongful death or excessive force, then 12 people can decide that — not me, not a judge.”

The lawsuit seeks damages totaling more than $75,000.

Villagers may recall that Patrick Burns was tased 21 times last year when he was caught breaking into a woman's home.

Clad in underwear, Burns was outside the woman’s home sitting in a ditch when deputies arrived. Burns, an accountant for the state, had no criminal record, but he did have a history of bipolar disorder and he had cocaine in his system.

It is obvious to any reasonable person that pumping 50,000 volts of electricity 21 times will result in their death. Sangamon County coroner Susan Boone is not a 'reasonable person' as she feels that the tasers didn't kill him.

Boone ruled that Burns, 50, died from excited delirium, but his family says that she conducted an improper investigation. They are suing the coroner in an effort to get the manner of death on Burns’ death certificate changed from “undetermined” to “accidental.”

This blog thinks that the family has a strong lawsuit. I wish that they had asked for more in damages than just $75,000. Sangamon County will end up settling this case out of court so that they don't have embarrassment of a legal loss.

Sangamon County Sheriff Provides New Training for His Taser-Killing Deputies

Patrick Burns was electrocuted with multiple 50,000 volt shocks from various taser guns shot by Sangamon County police officers in January. The Sangamon County coroner's office ruled that Burns died due to excited delirium.

No action has been taken against the police officers that killed Mr. Burns. Sheriff Neil Williamson says his deputies didn't do anything wrong.

With that as background, Williamson did think it would be a good idea to avoid future lawsuits by giving his officers updated taser training. He brought in Lt. Michael Paulus of the Champaign Police Department to train Sangamon County deputies. Paulus will try to teach Williamson's deputies how to arrest suspects believed to be in a state of excited delirium. [SOURCE]

Over 80 people have been killed by taser-happy police officers around the country in the past 18 months. This is one of the first police departments involved in these taser-killings trying to do something proactive ... and for that we are grateful to Sheriff Williamson.

Taser Update: What Happened to Patrick Burns (Sangamon County)

This blog has shared information with you about the taser death of Patrick Burns. He was killed by an unidentified sheriff's deputy in Sangamon County. I'm convinced that the police did not need to kill this man with their taser guns on January 28, 2010. His family agrees. Many of them are wondering what happened to Patrick ... they want to know how a mild-mannered man ended up dead as a result of pre-trial electrocution by unidentified police officers.

A local reporter, Bruce Rushton, did a remarkable job of reporting about Patrick Burns' life and times prior to his taser-related death. The question that this reporter wanted to answer was simple: 'What Happened to Patrick Burns'?

Taser Autopsy: Patrick Burns (Sangamon County)

Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone says that Patrick Burns died from 'excited delirium' brought on by cocaine use.   Many of us think that Susan Boone isn't a very good coroner.

The family of Patrick Burns doesn't agree. A pathologist hired by the family says he died from a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen due to being hog-tied after he was shot 21 times with Tasers by unidentified Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies. [SOURCE]

Ralston, who performed an autopsy and reviewed medical records, found that oxygen to Burns’ brain was cut off when he was hog-tied and transported stomach-down to Memorial Medical Center.

The incident took place Jan. 23. Burns, under the influence of cocaine and wearing only underwear and a long-sleeved t-shirt, broke into a house near his home, where he beat the woman resident. She managed to get him outside before deputies arrived.

Investigators said he was calm when police arrived but went berserk when deputies tried photographing injuries he apparently received while breaking windows in the woman’s home.

Four unidentified deputies deployed their Tasers to control Burns after he began fighting and screaming in a muddy ditch.

During the inquest, John Yard, an Illinois State Police special agent, testified that Burns was shouting and struggling for the first part of his ambulance ride, but he calmed down by the time he reached the hospital.

Ralston said he wants to listen to audio logs from the ambulance company before finalizing his report. If Burns was hog-tied, prone and quiet for an extended period during the trip to the hospital, that would support the conclusion that he suffered a brain injury due to oxygen deprivation, the doctor said.

Ralston said he also wants to see the Taser barbs and photographs of Burns’ injuries from the barbs to determine how deeply the barbs penetrated. If the barbs went deep, it wouldn’t take much electricity for Taser shocks to have impaired heart function, the doctor said.

Burns had a Taser probe in his chest when he arrived at the hospital, and diagrams prepared by Ralston show he had three other wounds from probes in his chest.

Taser International, manufacturer of the stun gun, last fall issued a bulletin recommending that police not aim Tasers at chests due to what the company said is a low risk of “adverse cardiac event.”

Under questioning by Burns’ relatives while the inquest jury was deliberating, Dr. Jessica Bowman, who performed the autopsy for the coroner’s office, dismissed the idea that Taser shocks could have contributed to Burns’ death. She compared Taser International’s recommendation to a recommended dose of aspirin: Varying from recommendations does not mean any harm will occur, she said.

“This current is very superficial,” Bowman said. “You may not realize how deep your heart is inside you.”

We do not have a death penalty for domestic violence or resisting arrest or refusing to have your photo taken. The Sangamon County police department seemed to think that they are authorized to use their tasers for extra-judicial electrocution whenever the mood strikes.

Taser Ruling: Coroner's Jury Has No Idea How Patrick Burns Died

After hearing testimony that Patrick Burns, who died after being Tased 21 times by Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies, died of excited delirium, a coroner’s jury has ruled his cause of death as “undetermined.” [SOURCE]

Villagers may recall that 50-year old Patrick Burns was found by Sangamon County police officers sitting in front of his house wearing his underwear on January 23. They arrested him ... but, not before shooting him up over 20 times with 50,000 volts of electricity.

Sheriff Neil Williamson, who sat through the inquest, said he was surprised that, despite Bowman’s conclusion, the coroner’s jury returned an “undetermined” verdict.

“I was convinced it was cocaine-induced excited delirium,” Williamson said. “I support the deputies 100 percent. We still believe in the use of the Taser.”

Boone praised deputies, saying there could have been more deaths “but for the police officers.”

More deaths? The unarmed guy was sitting on the front lawn in his underwear ... who was he going to kill? The only one who died in this exchange was Burns.

State’s Attorney John Schmidt said his office is reviewing the case. He said he didn’t know whether any charges will be filed or when the review will be complete.

What do you think? Will he file any charges against the unidentified police officers involved in this taser-killing?

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.