Taser-Killer Cop Faces Manslaughter for Electrocution of Roger Anthony

It is nice that a district attorney in North Carolina is finally holding a taser-wielding police officer accountable for the pre-judicial electrocution of an innocent and unarmed citizen. John Turner, 26, resigned in disgrace from the Scotland Neck Police Department after the taser-related killing of 61-year old Roger Anthony. [SOURCE]

A grand jury in Halifax County indicted John Turner on the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

'Villagers' may recall that Turner responded to a call in reference to an intoxicated man on that November afternoon. He saw Anthony riding his bike in the area and tried to get him to stop. When Anthony didn’t stop, Turner shot him with his stun gun. Anthony died from head trauma suffered when he fell from his bicycle and hit his head on the pavement.

Turner is currently free on bail. His next court date is August 6.

Taser Autopsy: Bobby Merrill, Jr. (Saginaw, MI)

Unidentified Saginaw police officers shot their taser five times at 38-year old Bobby Merrill when they found him running into traffic and jumping on cars back in April. One of the taser blasts connected with Merrill and he went into cardiac arrest and died.

The Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael Thomas says that the police were blameless. Thomas indicates that the man who died caused his own death with cocaine and alcohol. According to the 'powers-that-be' the 50,000 volts of electricity pumped into his body by the taser had nothing to do with his death. [SOURCE]

The investigation showed that police officers subdued Merrill with the taser shot before handcuffing him and placing him in the back of their car. The police were high-fiving each other over their 'Wild West' show when they finally allowed the medical responders to see Merrill. The medical personnel had been onsite before the tasing ... but, they weren't allowed to help Merrill. Instead the police went buck wild ... fired off five taser shots ... and now an unarmed man is now dead.

The district attorney and the police want us to believe that drugs and alchohol killed this guy. In fact, the autopsy report acknowledges that he was tased before his death ... but, the report refuses to acknowledge that the taser contributed to his death.

I suspect that the Merrill family will end up taking this decision to civil court in order to get some justice for Bobby.

Lisa Alexander, Mother of Autistic Youth Neli Latson, Thrown in Jail by Vindictive Prosecutor

Lisa Alexander

We shared the story of Neli Latson with our 'villagers' last year. There is some more rank shyt going on this year.


Lisa Alexander, mother of Neli Latson, was convicted earlier this week on misdemeanor charges that for many would have resulted in little to no jail time. Not the case with Ms. Alexander. She was sentenced to one year incarceration (later reduced to six months).

Lisa Alexander is an 11 year military veteran with no prior criminal history. She left the military to dedicate her life to her children and to especially build a stable life for her autistic son, Neli. Neli was racially profiled, thrown in jail, and unjustly convicted in May 2010 at the hands of the same district attorney that prosecuted her.

Lisa has been tirelessly advocating for Neli and the only constant throughout his terrifying ordeal has been his mother's voice by telephone each day and their weekly visits. She is her son's coping mechanism and is absolutely vital to him.

A number of Neli's supporters believe that the incarceration of Lisa Alexander is in direct retaliation for her efforts to speak out against the corruption in Stafford County and her fight to have her son released to a facility capable of addressing his autism. Her Internet campaign to win supporters to her son's cause was even mentioned by the prosecution during the course of the trial.

Lisa has been under such an extreme amount of stress over the past few years since Neli's arrest that she has suffered severe vision loss rendering her barely able to read. Family and friends are greatly concerned for her health and well being.

I encourage all 'villagers' to find a way to support this family in crisis. Here are two things you can do right now:

1. Like the 'Fight Against Autism and Police Injustice' Facebook page
2. Sign the online petition

The goal is to have Neli receive a full pardon so that he can live his life with a semblance of normalcy. You can contact the supporters Neli Latson by email as well.

Waco Police Officers Cleared in Taser-Killing of Rodney Green

The district attorney in Waco, Texas decided not to press charges in the taser-related killing of an unarmed, non-violent 36-year old man. Four Waco police officers (Anita Gomez, D. J. Adams, Daniel Kent and Jason Taylor) were cleared of any responsibility in the 2010 Thanksgiving Day death of Rodney Green ... a man they subdued with taser guns after his car struck a pole.

Police had received a report about a man near the accident scene who was acting strangely. An officer determined that Green was experiencing some type of difficulty.

The first officer on the scene called for back-up. The back-up arrived and the police officers thought that Green was acting strangely. Instead of helping the unarmed and nonviolent man who had just survived a crash with a pole ... the police used a Taser to subdue him.

Another officer arrived and used ankle cuffs to try to restrain Green, who was able to break them almost immediately, police said.

Then Green became unresponsive and the officers called for an ambulance.

A preliminary autopsy report released in February said Green died of "Toxic effects of cocaine and the physiologic stress associated with police struggle compounded by cardiac hypertrophy and asthma." The autopsy also found Green suffered from cardiac hypertrophy, an abnormal enlargement of the heart muscle.

District Attorney Abel Reyna said officers followed department policy, procedure and state law in their attempts to subdue Green. The decision not to indict in the incident ends the investigation.

This appears to be another situation in which an unarmed and nonviolent man was killed by taser-happy police ... with no consequences to the ones who did the killing. The city of Waco should be ashamed.

Simi Valley District Attorney Clears Police Officer James Wismer in Taser-Related Death of Charles Torrence

It took over a year ... but the Ventura County District Attorney issued a 37-page report clearing the Simi Valley police officer James Wismer and the others involved in the taser-related death of 35-year of Charles Torrence.

Torrence was killed back in July 2009. The coroner never came to a definitive conclusion about whether or not the 50,000 volts of electricity jolted twice by Wismer's taser gun into Torrence had anything to do with his death.

Torrence was not a nice man. However, he was an UNARMED man. That didn't seem to matter in the post-death analysis. In a 37-page report, the District Attorney’s Office said the force used by police was “fully justified.” The report also says there was insufficient evidence that the police actions were even a factor in Torrence’s death.

“The DA’s report confirms the officers did the right thing,” Simi Valley Police Chief Mike Lewis said. “I know it’s reassuring to the officers involved in this. They were traumatized, too, in this unexpected death.”

Officer Wisner involved told investigators he pulled his Taser out because he could see Torrence was acting violently, sweating profusely, likely on drugs and yelling that he was thirsty. Torrence was 6-feet tall and 240 pounds.

A test of the officer’s Taser showed it was fired three times, but an autopsy found no physical evidence on Torrence’s body that the gun’s electrical probes ever entered the skin. The police officer switched the Taser to “drive-stun” mode in an attempt to control Torrence, who was flailing his arms and punching at him with fists, the reports show. The stun mode requires the Taser be applied directly to the skin. The officer could not restrain Torrence until additional officers arrived and helped hold Torrence down until handcuffs could be applied.

Officers carried him by his arms and legs to a police car, but decided to put him down outside the car because Torrence continued to resist, the reports show.

Torrence stopped breathing while laying face down with his hands and feet restrained and at least one officer putting pressure on his upper back. Officers said he continued moving around and making grunting noises until he stopped breathing.

Officers rolled him over, paramedics performed CPR and Torrence was rushed to a Simi Valley Hospital, where he died the next day.

Mississippi Powers-That-Be Ponder Criminal Charges Against the Police Officers Who Electrocuted Jermaine Williams

Jermaine Williams, 30, was electrocuted on multiple occasions by two taser-happy Cleveland Police Department officers, Stanley Perry and Bryan Gozan, who were attempting to arrest him on July 23.    The local coroner concluded that the taser-related death was a homicide.

The family has filed a $25 million civil lawsuit against the officers and the police department for wrongful death. They do not feel that the homicide was justified in any sense of the word.

The only open issue is whether or not the police officers will face criminal charges for their role in the killing of Williams.   The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations (MBI) completed its report concerning this taser-related death. [SOURCE]

“The investigation is complete,” said MBI Spokesperson Jon Kalahar. “It was completed sometime this month. It was turned over to the Bolivar County District Attorney office to Ms. Brenda Mitchell a couple of weeks ago.  Ms. Mitchell decided that because she works so closely with the Cleveland Police Department, she did not want to handle the report.  She believed it would be best that it be handled by an outside agency such as the attorney general’s office."

Everyone is now waiting for the district attorney to determine if the officers were justified in killing Williams or if the case will be handed over to a grand jury for consideration of criminal charges.

The police continue to maintain that the extra-judicial electrocutions were proper.  Police chief Buster Bingham and his boys spin the story as follows:

Cleveland Police officers responded to a complaint around 3:18 a.m. of people loitering in the 700 block of Cross Street. During conversations, a bag of suspected cocaine was found on top of one of the vehicles where the individuals were standing.


As is normal procedure, the officers asked for identification of everyone. One particular individual gave the officers several false names. Another person, later identified as Williams, came up and said he was “gonna call someone.” He then grabbed the bag of suspected cocaine and ran.

An officer pursued him and finally caught up with Williams at Lucy Seaberry Boulevard and Cross Street. Williams would not comply and continued to resist the officer. The officer then deployed his taser gun on Williams.


Even then, according to the read statement, he was still combative and actually tried to take the taser from the officer. A second officer then arrived and Williams received a second taser jolt.

Other officers made it to the scene at which time they had to physically pull Williams’ arms out from under him. He was cuffed and officers noticed that he was having medical difficulties. Emergency services was called and prior to their arrival, the officers themselves gave Williams’ medical attention.

He was taken to Bolivar Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.   We figure that the MBI report may answer some of the open questions in this case:

1. Did Williams die at the scene, on the way to the hospital or at the hospital?
2. What happened to the bag of suspected cocaine? (did Williams ingest it;  was it recovered or not at the scene?) 

Please let this blog know if you have additional information to share about this taser-related death.

Greenville County Officials Debate Criminal Charges Against Police in Taser Death of Andrew Torres

Andrew Torres was killed by two Greenville (SC) police officers who electrocuted him with their taser guns on August 9. The coroner ruled that the death was a homicide. The only remaining question is whether or not the police officers will be charged with a crime or not.

We learned that the Greenville County Solicitor Bob Ariail isn't willing to make the decision. He is punting the decision about whether to charge the police officers with a crime for their role in the death of Torres. [SOURCE]

Ariail said he has forwarded the State Law Enforcement Division's report on Torres death to 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett. He said he is sure that Brackett will handle the matter in an expeditious and professional manner.

Brackett will decide if criminal charges will be filed against the three officers involved in the August killing -- who have been identified as officers Dale Dirton, Kevin Hill and Eric Koepke.

District Attorney Will Not Charge Cops Who Tasered Daniel Barga to Death

Daniel Barga, 24, died after being taken into custody following a disturbance in the backyard of a upper-income home in Cornelius, Oregon that was less than half-mile from his residence. Cornelius police officer Mark Jansen found Barga in the backyard covered with blood and refusing to cooperate, police said. Jansen used a Taser, which delivers a 50,000-volt shock, in an effort to subdue Barga. Barga died while in Jansen's custody.

Cornelius Officer Mark Jansen and the other two officers involved in Barga's death (Forest Grove Sgt. Dean Foster and Officer Scott King) will not face criminal charges. [SOURCE]

This result was inevitable after the autoposy in which the medical examiner said that the young man died from "excited delirium" due to the toxic effects of psilocybin, or hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Taser Cop Ken Thompson is Cleared in the Killing Brian Cardall

Hurricane police officer Ken Thompson has been cleared by the Washington County Attorney's Office for his part in the June 9 taser-related death of Brian Cardall. The county attorney's office "concluded that criminal prosecution is not appropriate in this case." [SOURCE]

Cardall died of "ventricular fibrillation" produced by an undetermined cause, according to Dr. Erik D. Christensen of the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office, according to the county attorney's findings.

"Two factors are at play in this case, each of which could represent a possible primary or contributory cause of death," Christensen's autopsy report states.

While the autopsy found it possible that a taser gun could have led to the abnormal heart rhythm, it is also "clear that Mr. Cardall was in a state of both mental confusion and physiologic excitement," and the resulting rapid heart beat and internal agitation would also put him at risk of sudden cardiac death from a disturbance of the heart's rhythm, Christensen's report states.

County Attorney Brock Belnap, concludes, "In my view, Officer Thompson responded to a tense, uncertain and rapidly unfolding situation in a manner consistent with his training and that he did not intend, believe or foresee would seriously injure or cause the death of Brian Cardall."

Villagers may recall that Officer Thompson arrived on the scene at 1:17 pm and began to yell,

"Get down on the ground! Get down on the ground!" Brian Cardall responds twice in what sounds as a panicked voice, "Is this a standoff! Don't shoot."

About 42 seconds after arriving on scene the officer deployed his Taser yelling, "Taser deployed! Stay on the ground! Stay on the ground!"

Thompson is heard on the tape to say, "He went down, he tried to get up and I told him to stay down. I tased him again and then after the second time..." Thompson knew that he did wrong. Listen to the tape ... and you be the judge!

You can hear Brian Cardall moaning and screaming for about five seconds after Thompson first deploys a Taser on him. Following a two-second pause, Thompson deploys the Taser on Cardall again. He says in the recordings Cardall had tried to get up.

Officer Thompson killed a man in June ... and now the powers-that-be are letting him off scott-free. Something is wrong and I hope that Cardall's family files a massive lawsuit in this case.

What are your thoughts on this case of taser (in)justice?

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?

Grand Jury Extended in Jamaal Valentine Taser Death Case

The grand jury reviewing the actions of three La Marque police officers involved in the arrest of a man who died in custody has had its term extended. [SOURCE]

District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk’s office and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office took the lead in the investigation of the death of 27-year old Jamaal Valentine on May 17.

During the struggle, one of the officers shocked Valentine with a Taser.

At issue for the grand jury, which convened Aug. 30, is whether the three officers acted properly during the arrest.

After weeks of silence, Sistrunk responded directly to accusations that he has been biased in his approach to this case.

“It is hogwash, pure hogwash,” Sistrunk said. “The assertions that were initially made and continue to be made, including that this grand jury presentation is a sham and that justice is being subverted are an affront to the integrity of the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office … this office and the grand jury hearing the evidence.”

Sistrunk also said the action of the grand jury in extending its term “speaks volumes about both the grand jury and what kind of presentation is being made to them, and it is nothing short of fair and just, for the Valentine family, the La Marque Police Department and the citizens of Galveston County.”