David Edwards
Raw Story
December 26, 2008

A naked man wandering around an apartment complex near Houston, Texas died after police shocked him with a taser four times.

Texas’ KPRC reports, &quotA naked man who banged on doors and cars at a north Harris County apartment complex died after he was shocked by a Taser gun, deputies told KPRC Local 2. An autopsy will determine the cause of the man’s death.&quot

The article continues, &quotThe deputies involved have been put on administrative duty pending the outcome of investigations by the internal affairs and homicide divisions.&quot

The Houston Chronicle provides the police account of what transpired: &quotThe resident ‘did not know who he was,’ said Lt. John Legg of the Sheriff’s Office. The first deputy arrived within minutes. ‘He was immediately confronted by the suspect, who ran toward his patrol car, opened the front passenger door and climbed in,’ Legg said.&quot

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t
• 

The Houston Chronicle story continues, &quotThe deputy ordered the man out, but the man ignored his commands, yelling and flailing his arms, Legg said. ‘He was incoherent,’ the lieutenant said. ‘The deputy said his eyes appeared glassed over.’ The deputy’s Taser had little, if any, effect, officials said. After the man got out of the patrol car and pulled out the stun gun’s prongs, the deputy fired it again while struggling with the man, officials said. Another deputy arrived and ordered the naked man to back away, then used his Taser, investigators said.&quot

Earlier this year, members of the NYPD’s Emergency Unit tasered an emotionally disturbed man who was waving a fluorescent light while standing naked on a a building ledge, who then fell over ten feet to his death. The tasering &quotviolated departmental guideline,&quot but no charges were brought against the officers involved. Not long after, the NYPD lieutenant who ordered the tasering committed suicide.

&quotTorturing and killing the mentally ill with tasers is becoming commonplace,&quot Hullabalo’s Digby blogs,&quotThere must be a better way.&quot

Tasers have have killed more than 400 people in the United States and Canada since 2001, according to a recent study.

&quotTaser International, based in Arizona, dismissed the study as flawed,&quot Nick Juliano recently reported for Raw Story. &quotThe company maintains that its weapons are safe.&quot

This video is from ABCNews.com, broadcast Dec. 26, 2008.

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