Taser Autopsy: Cocaine is Cause of Death for Michael Evans

We learned that the 50,000 volts of electricity pumped into the body of 56-year old Michael Evans contributed to his death back on August 25. However, the cause of death is listed as cocaine overdose. [SOURCE]


The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Fayetteville (NC) said Evans had more than four times the lethal amount of cocaine in his system when he was electrocuted by the police.

The report says the cocaine level was the cause of the death, complicated by cardiovascular disease, significant physical exertion while trying to avoid restraint and the electric shock.

Officers said they were trying to take Evans into custody because he was trying to jump in front of cars.

Coroner Rules 'Homicide' in the Taser-Killing of Alonzo Ashley

This blog told you about the taser killing of 29-year old Alonzo Ashley that took place at the Denver Zoo earlier this year. Denver's coroner recently ruled that the death at the hands of the police was a homicide. [SOURCE]

Officers said Ashley bit them before they electrocuted him with 50,000 volts of electricity from a taser gun. Police shot the taser gun FIVE times even though they had Ashley face-down on the ground, with shoulders pressed down, hands cuffed behind his back and legs crossed, flexed and pressed toward his buttocks, the autopsy by Dr. John Carver says.


Ashley began convulsing and he was dead before paramedics arrived.

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, however, said Ashley's death met no legal criteria for prosecution under Colorado homicide statutes.

"This clearly is not a homicide under Colorado law," Morrissey said. "I have some real questions about using the term homicide."

Police Chief Gerry Whitman said all the officers who responded to the incident will remain on duty. Additional investigations by police and Manager of Safety's Office to determine whether policies were violated are pending.

Ashley's death sparked protests by the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance. Dr. Timothy Tyler, pastor of Denver's Shorter Community AME Church, said that the city promised changes after Marvin Booker's death at the city jail in July 2010 but that apparently nothing has changed.

He predicted the Police Department will investigate its own and determine that the officers followed the restraint policy.

"Perhaps the restraint policy needs to be changed," Tyler said.

I suspect that the next thing we hear from this case will be a lawsuit filed by Mr. Ashley's family.

What is Cuyahoga County Coroner Hiding in the Taser-Killing Case of Rodney Brown?

Rodney Brown

Rodney Brown, 40, was killed by Cleveland police officers when he lost his cool and tried to run after being stopped for a traffic violation back on New Year's Eve.

The coroner later ruled that the death was due to a heart attack and not as a result of the multiple taser shots fired at 50,000 volts each from the police into Brown's body.

Cleveland Police say they couldn't control Rodney Brown and that Brown pulled a knife. Police say that's when they shot tasers at Brown. A short time later, Brown died.


Attorney David Malik is exploring a civil suit for the family, saying Brown's body had 11 puncture marks from taser probes. Malik claims the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office has not released certain police records. [SOURCE]

What are the 'powers-that-be' hiding from us in this taser-related death?

Taser-Happy Cops Blast Ryan Bain Four Times ... And Get Away With It?!?

We were disappointed to learn that a coroner's inquest jury in Billings, Montana came to the conclusion that 31-year old Ryan Bain died from an accidental overdose of methamphetamine. The jury decided that the law enforcement officials who shocked Bain four times with their taser guns did not commit a criminal offense. [SOURCE]

Did you see the raw video of the police and jail officers who appeared to over-react to the news that Bain tried to steal the car of an off-duty police officer?





The video is shocking. Did they really need that many cops to inflict pain on one naked and handcuffed man? The jury seemed to discount their own eyes ... and instead they relied on the testimony of forensic pathologist Dr. Thomas Bennett.

Bennett told the jury that Bain died from a toxic dose of methamphetamine that caused cardiac arrest. The four shocks from police Tasers did not play a role in the man's death, he said.

Our prayers are with the Bain family has they try to deal with this questionable verdict from the coroner's inquest jury. Y'all know how I feel about this case ... what say u?

Coroner's Inquest Scheduled for Taser-Killing of Ryan Bain in Montana

Prosecutors have set a date to examine the death of a Billings man who died after a dramatic physical struggle with police. [SOURCE]

Ryan Bain, age 31, died in October of 2010, two days after authorities tased him at least four times. Police said he was resisting arrest. It's unclear if the tasing led to Bain's death.

County attorneys originally thought that the coroner's inquest would be late January.   However, we now learn that it won't take place until March 16th.  You have to wonder why it is taking so long for the coroner's inquest to be taking place.  I suspect that the powers-that-be in Billings, Montana are not anxious to learn the official cause of death and the taser's role in the incident. The trial-like proceeding is expected to take several days as more than a dozen witnesses take the stand.

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.

Taser Autopsy: Coroner Says Death of Philadelphia Teenager Was 'Accidental' | Being Tased Twice Did Not Cause His Death

Powers-That-Be in Philadelphia found a way to work their magic on the taser-related death of 18-year-old Patrick Johnson. Johnson was shot with 50,000 volts of electricity TWICE by unidentified police officers. Yet the city's Medical Examiner ruled that his October 2010 death was ruled accidental.

The coroner tells us that Patrick Johnson died from right ventricular cardiomyopathy -- a form of heart disease. [SOURCE]
 
Villagers, it is difficult for me to believe that Johnson would have died that day if the police didn't put two taser shots into his young body. It boggles the mind to think that his heart disease would have kicked in on that very same October day if the police never arrived to 'help'.

The coroner indicates that the shocks were a factor in the teen's death and could have kick started the heart condition but were only a factor -- not a cause of death -- for Johnson.


A young, mentally-challenged man is dead and nobody is responsible? It was an accident? Mind-boggling!?!

Taser Autopsy: Adam Colliers Tased, Unresponsive and Dead; Coroner Says His Death Was 'Accidental'

Am I the only one who thinks that doctors seem like they enjoy peeing in our face and calling it 'rain'? That's what it feels like whenever I hear a coroner use some bogus condition like 'excited delirium' to excuse an extra-judicial electrocution by a police officer.

Villagers may recall that Adams Colliers, 25, was unarmed and non-violent when police received a 911 call. Colliers was running up and down the street. He was acting strange, however, he hadn't touched anyone. Sheriff’s Deputy Ian Whipple arrived first. Deputy Bryson McGee arrived next. McGee fired his Taser, which made contact with Colliers’ body, according to the search warrant. McGee said Colliers became unresponsive, and he and Whipple started CPR. CPR didn't work as Colliers died moments later.

The guy gets tased ... and within moments he's dead. Nothing accidental about it.


The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's office sees it differently. They claim that Colliers had acute methamphetamine intoxication and likely had excited delirium as well. The manner of death was ruled an accident.

Colliers’ death remains under investigation by the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team. Hopefully, they will understand that an unarmed and non-violent Colliers should not be dead. The fact that he *is* dead is not an 'accident' ... it is criminal!

What say u?

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: 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 Autopsy: Death of 17-Year Old William Owens Ruled a 'Homicide'

A 17-year old African American child died after being electrocuted mulitple times by the taser gun of an unidentified white Homewood (AL) police officer. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office ruled that the taser was part of the reason that the young man died.

Chief Deputy Coroner Pat Curry classified the cause of death as "sequelae of confrontation of Taser use." The manner of death is classified as a homicide. [SOURCE]

The pre-existing condition, combined with the stress of the events including the 50,000 volts of electricity from the taser gun, all worked together to end in his death. Absent one link in the chain events, whether that be the struggle with police, the taser gun or the heart condition, Owens may or may not have died, Curry said

"The totality of the circumstance killed him," Curry said.

Owens died June 14. He was struck by a Homewood police officer's Taser after lawmen caught him and three of his cousins, including a 12-year-old, allegedly breaking into cars at Herzing University just before 1 a.m. Police said Owens was struck with the taser after the teen repeatedly resisted arrest. [NOTE: I'm fairly certain that there is no death penalty for 'repeatedly resisting arrest'.]

The case is under investigation by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, the Homewood Police and the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.

District Attorney Brandon Falls said he wanted to withhold comment until completion of the investigation.

The Homewood Police Department released this statement:

"The findings from the coroner's office are consistent with any death where the actions of one person cause the death of another. This ruling is consistent whether the actions of the remaining person(s) are direct or indirect. This finding does not reflect any misconduct on the part of Homewood officers responding to the scene. Officers on the scene acted reasonably and quickly to the circumstances surrounding this incident."

The next step in this process is to see what the District Attorney does. Not all homicides lead to criminal prosecution. Will the unidentifed police officer be charged with a crime? Or will this young man's life end without any legal recourse against the person that electrocuted him without a trial?

Taser Autopsy: Death of Efrain Carrion is Ruled 'Excited Delirium'

The autopsy of 35-year old Efrain Carrion is complete. Villagers may recall that this is the man police say was acrobatic enough to get loose from five officers (Sgt. James Prokop, K-9 Handler Doug Clark and officers William Hertler, Chris Lundberg and Elias Martz), a K-9 police dog and two handcuffs that held his arms behind his back. Yep ... this man was the 'Houdini' of Middletown CT. The police felt a need to electrocute him multiple times with their taser guns in his own backyard.

Anyhow, the medical examiner indicates that the cause of death is “excited delirium”.

The term isn't one recognized by the American Medical Association and has become controversial because excited delirium is most often listed as a cause of death in cases where someone died after being electrocuted with a taser gun.

The co-chairman of the legislature's Judiciary Committee, state Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, says he can't recall another case in Connecticut where excited delirium has been listed as the cause of death.

"Whether that's a diagnosis or a cause of death, I don't know," says Lawlor. "I'm not a doctor, but I have not heard of this as a cause of death before [in Connecticut]."

Some activists claim the term is being used to cover up cases where police have used excessive force, particularly when an incident involved the use of a Taser.

The Middletown Police Chief is hiding behind the finding by the medical examiner.

“Tasers are very safe if used properly. They are designed to minimize any injury to individuals and injury to police officers. It eliminates the need to use a nightstick or police dogs that can bite and harm someone. Absolutely nothing at the time indicates any wrong-doing done by the officers,” acting Middletown Police Chief Patrick McMahon said. “I think the medical examiner’s findings speak for themselves.”

Of course, there is another point of view from a witness at the scene of this prejudicial electrocution. Eunice Barrientos told reporters she called police to calm down her brother, Efrain Carrion who was acting irrational, but she never expected them to taser him to death.

“They just tasered him and tasered him and let the dog chew him up,” the Middletown woman said.

She said after the officers were finished tasering her brother, they kicked him down the stairs as they were taking him out of the apartment.






My understanding is that the family will file a 'wrongful death' lawsuit against the city and the police officers. The Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad is currently still under investigation.

Villagers ... what are your thoughts about this taser-related killing?

Taser Autopsy: Douglas Boucher (Mason OH)

Douglas Boucher, 39, died earlier this month after being approached by two Mason police officers (Daniel Fry and Sean McCormick) about his efforts to flirt with female clerk at local gas station. Boucher flirted ... clerk complained to local cops ... local cops tased Boucher ... Boucher died. Boucher was a loving father, son and musician. He had a full life ahead of him. He was not a substantial threat to the two police officers. Now he is dead. [SOURCE]

Butler County coroner said an autopsy revealed the cause of Boucher’s death was a skull fracture, which he received when he fell face forward after Officer McCormick pumped his body with 50,000 volts of electricity.

No drugs or alcohol were found in Boucher's body.

I'm curious to see what, if any, action will be taken to discipline the two police officers? They are both on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation of the incident.

Coroner Rules 'Homicide' in the Taser-Killing of Rory McKenzie

Rory McKenzie is a 25-year old Black man who was killed in a taser-related incident by Kern County Sheriff deputies. Kern County coroner John Van Rensselaer ruled the death a homicide. [SOURCE]

McKenzie did a bad thing on July 2. He was involved in a domestic dispute with his wife. However, the penalty for domestic disputes is not death.

There needs to be some consequences for Sgt. Otis Whinery, a 24-year veteran; Senior Deputy Douglas Jauch, K-9 Handler, an 8-year veteran; Deputy Edward Tucker, a 12-year veteran; and Deputy Patrick McNeal, a six-year veteran. The district attorney should bring criminal charges against them for this homicide.

These deputies used a taser gun to subdue McKenzie. Deputy Jaunch also let his K-9 dog bite McKenzie on the leg before they took him into custody.

After the 50,000 volts of electricity coursed through his body ... and he was bitten by police dog ... and he was handcuffed ... McKenzie began to have difficulty breathing. The deputies knew that they went to far. They performed CPR on McKenzie.

An ambulance arrived and took McKenzie to Kern Medical Center, where he died.

McKenzie's wife accused the deputies of using excessive force, but would not say if she is filing a formal complaint.

Have you noticed that more of these taser-related deaths are being ruled 'homicide' nowadays? There was a homicide ruling down in Ft. Worth TX where police killed a 24-year old man in his front yard. There is a major public rally taking place on November 7th to protest the fact that the police officer who killed this young man has not been punished by her department.

Also, I encourage all villagers to join us on December 4th as we particpate in a Day of Blogging for Justice: Stop Taser Torture.