Jan 9, 2009: Derrick Jones, 17, Black, Martinsville, Virginia Jan 11, 2009: Rodolfo Lepe, 31, Hispanic, Bakersfield, California Jan 22, 2009: Roger Redden, 52, Caucasian, Soddy Daisy, Tennessee- Feb 2, 2009: Garrett Jones, 45, Caucasian, Stockton, California Feb 11, 2009: Richard Lua, 28, Hispanic, San Jose, California Feb 13, 2009: Rudolph Byrd, 37, Black, Thomasville, Georgia Feb 13, 2009: Michael Jones, 43, Black, Iberia, Louisiana Feb 14, 2009: Chenard Kierre Winfield, 32, Black, Los Angeles, California Feb 28, 2009: Robert Lee Welch, 40, Caucasian, Conroe, Texas Mar 22, 2009: Brett Elder, 15, Caucasian, Bay City, Michigan Mar 26, 2009: Marcus D. Moore, 40, Black, Freeport, Illinois Apr 1, 2009: John J. Meier Jr., 48, Caucasian, Tamarac, Florida Apr 6, 2009: Ricardo Varela, 41, Hispanic, Fresno, California Apr 10, 2009: Robert Mitchell, 16, Black, Detroit, Michigan Apr 13, 2009: Craig Prescott, 38, Black, Modesto, California Apr 16, 2009: Gary A. Decker, 50, Black, Tuscon, Arizona Apr 18, 2009: Michael Jacobs Jr., 24, Black, Fort Worth, Texas Apr 30, 2009: Kevin LaDay, 35, Black, Lumberton, Texas May 4, 2009: Gilbert Tafoya, 53, Caucasian, Holbrook, Arizona May 17, 2009: Jamaal Valentine, 27, Black, La Marque, Texas May 23, 2009: Gregory Rold, 37, Black, Salem, Oregon Jun 9, 2009: Brian Cardall, 32, Caucasian, Hurricane, Utah Jun 13, 2009: Dwight Madison, 48, Black, Bel Air, Maryland Jun 20, 2009 Derrek Kairney, 36, Race: Unknown, South Windsor, Connecticut Jun 30, 2009, Shawn Iinuma, 37, Asian, Fontana, California Jul 2, 2009, Rory McKenzie, 25, Black, Bakersfield, California Jul 20, 2009, Charles Anthony Torrence, 35, Caucasian, Simi Valley, California Jul 30, 2009, Johnathan Michael Nelson, 27, Caucasian, Riverside County, California Aug 9, 2009, Terrace Clifton Smith, 52, Black, Moreno Valley, California Aug 12, 2009, Ernest Ridlehuber, 53, Race: Unknown, Greenville, South Carolina Aug 14, 2009, Hakim Jackson, 31, Black, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Aug 18, 2009, Ronald Eugene Cobbs, 38, Black, Greensboro, North Carolina Aug 20, 2009, Francisco Sesate, 36, Hispanic, Mesa, Arizona Aug 22, 2009, T.J. Nance, 37, Race: Unknown, Arizona City, Arizona Aug 26, 2009, Miguel Molina, 27, Hispanic, Los Angeles, California Aug 27, 2009, Manuel Dante Dent, 27, Hispanic, Modesto, California Sep 3, 2009, Shane Ledbetter, 38, Caucasian, Aurora, Colorado Sep 16, 2009, Alton Warren Ham, 45, Caucasian, Modesto, California Sep 19, 2009, Yuceff W. Young II, 21, Black, Brooklyn, Ohio Sep 21, 2009, Richard Battistata, 44, Hispanic, Laredo, Texas Sep 28, 2009, Derrick Humbert, 38, Black, Bradenton, Florida Oct 2, 2009, Rickey Massey, 38, Black, Panama City, Florida Oct 12, 2009, Christopher John Belknap, 36, Race: Unknown, Ukiah, California Oct 16, 2009, Frank Cleo Sutphin, 19, Caucasian, San Bernadino, California Oct 27, 2009, Jeffrey Woodward, 33, Caucasian, Gallatin, Tennessee Nov 13, 2009, Herman George Knabe, 58, Caucasian, Corpus Christi, Texas Nov 14, 2009, Darryl Bain, 43, Black, Coram, New York Nov 16, 2009, Matthew Bolick, 30, Caucasian, East Grand Rapids, Michigan Nov 19, 2009, Jesus Gillard, 61, Black, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Nov 21, 2009, Ronald Petruney, 49, Race: Unknown, Washington, Pennsylvania Nov 27, 2009, Eddie Buckner, 53, Caucasian, Chattanooga, Tennessee Dec 11, 2009, Andrew Grande, 33, Caucasian, Oak County, Florida Dec 11, 2009, Hatchel Pate Adams III, 36, Black, Hampton, Virginia Dec 11, 2009, Paul Martin Martinez, 36, Hispanic, Roseville, California Dec 13, 2009, Douglas Boucher, 39, Caucasian, Mason, Ohio Dec 14, 2009, Linda Hicks, 62, Black, Toledo, Ohio Dec 19, 2009, Preston Bussey III, 41, Black, Rockledge, Florida Dec 20, 2009, Michael Hawkins, 39, Caucasian, Springfield, Missouri Dec 30, 2009, Stephen Palmer, 47, Race: Unknown, Stamford, Connecticut Jan 6, 2010, Delano Smith, 21, Black, Elkhart, Indiana Jan 17, 2010, William Bumbrey III, 36, Black, Arlington, Virginia Jan 20, 2010, Kelly Brinson, 45, Race: Unknown, Cincinnati, Ohio Jan 27, 2010, Joe Spruill, Jr., Black, Goldsboro, North Carolina Jan 28, 2010, Patrick Burns, 50, Caucasian, Sangamon County, Illinois Jan 28, 2010, Daniel Mingo, 25, Black, Mobile, Alabama Feb 4, 2010, Mark Morse, 36, Caucasian, Phoenix, Arizona Mar 4, 2010, Roberto Olivo, 33, Hispanic, Tulare, California Mar 5, 2010, Christopher Wright, 48, Race: Unknown, Seattle, Washington Mar 10, 2010, Jaesun Ingles, 31, Black, Midlothian, Illinois Mar 10, 2010, James Healy Jr., 44, Race: Unknown, Rhinebeck, New York Mar 20, 2010, Albert Valencia, 31, Hispanic, Downey, California Apr 10, 2010, Daniel Joseph Barga, 24, Caucasian, Cornelius, Oregon Apr 30, 2010, Adil Jouamai, 32, Moroccan, Arlington, Virginia May 9, 2010, Audreacus Davis, 29, Black, Atlanta, Georgia May 14, 2010, Sukeba Olawunmi, 39, Race: Unknown, Atlanta, Georgia May 24, 2010, Efrain Carrion, 35, Hispanic, Middletown, Connecticut May 27, 2010, Carl Johnson, 48, Caucasian, Baltimore, Maryland May 29, 2010, Jose Martinez, 53, Hispanic, Waukegan, Illinois May 31, 2010, Anastasio Hernández Rojas, 42, Hispanic, San Ysidro, California Jun 8, 2010, Terrelle Houston, 22, Black, Hempstead, Texas Jun 12, 2010, Curtis Robinson, 34, Black, Albuquerque, New Mexico Jun 13, 2010, William Owens, 17, Race: Unknown, Homewood, Alabama Jun 14, 2010, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, 42, Hispanic, Harris County, Texas Jun 15, 2010, Michael White, 47, Black, Vallejo, California Jun 22, 2010, Daniel Sylvester, 35, Caucasian, Crescent City, California July 5, 2010, Damon Falls, 31, Black, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma July 5, 2010, Edmund Gutierrez, 22, Hispanic, Imperial, California July 8, 2010, Phyllis Owens, 87, Race: Unknown, Clackamas County, Oregon July 9, 2010, Marvin Booker, 56, Race: Black, Denver, Colorado July 12, 2010, Anibal Rosario-Rodriguez, 61, Hispanic, New Britain, Connecticut July 15, 2010, Jerome Gill, Race: Unknown, Chicago, Illinois July 18, 2010, Edward Stephenson, 46, Race: Unknown, Leavenworth, Kansas July 23, 2010, Jermaine Williams, 30, Black, Cleveland, Mississippi Aug 1, 2010, Dennis Sandras, 49, Race: Unknown, Houma, Louisiana Aug 9, 2010, Andrew Torres, 39, Hispanic, Greenville, South Carolina Aug 18, 2010, Martin Harrison, 50, Caucasian, Dublin, California Aug 19, 2010, Adam Disalvo, 30, Caucasian, Daytona Beach, Florida Aug 20, 2010, Stanley Jackson, 31, Black, Washtenaw County, Michigan Aug 24, 2010, Michael Ford, 50, Black, Livonia, Michigan Aug 25, 2010, Eduardo Hernandez-Lopez, 21, Hispanic, Las Vegas, Nevada Aug 31, 2010, King Hoover, 27, Black, Spanaway, Washington Sep 4, 2010, Adam Colliers, 25, Caucasian, Gold Bar, Washington Sep 10, 2010, Larry Rubio, 20, Race: Unknown, Leemore, California Sep 12, 2010, Freddie Lockett, 30, Black, Dallas, Texas Sep 16, 2010, Gary L. Grossenbacher, 48, Race: Unknown, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Sep 18, 2010, David Cornelius Smith, 28, Black, Minneapolis, Minnesota Sep 18, 2010, Joseph Frank Kennedy, 48, Caucasian, La Mirada, California Oct 4, 2010, Javon Rakestrau, 28, Black, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Oct 7, 2010, Patrick Johnson, 18, Caucasian, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Oct 12, 2010, Ryan Bain, 31, Caucasian, Billings, Montana Oct 14, 2010, Karreem Ali, 65, Black, Silver Spring, Maryland Oct 19, 2010, Troy Hooftallen, 36, Caucasian, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Nov 4, 2010, Eugene Lamott Allen, 40, Race: Unknown, Wilmington, Delaware Nov 6, 2010, Robert Neill, Jr., 61, Caucasian, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania Nov 7, 2010, Mark Shaver, 32, Caucasian, Brimfield, Ohio Nov 23, 2010, Denevious Thomas, 36, Black, Albany, Georgia Nov 26, 2010, Rodney Green, 36, Black, Waco, Texas Nov 27, 2010, Blaine McElroy, 37, Race: Unknown, Jackson County, Mississippi Dec 2, 2010, Clayton Early James, Age: Unknown, Race: Unknown, Elizabeth City, North Carolina Dec 11, 2010, Anthony Jones, 44, Race: Unknown, Las Vegas, Nevada Dec 12, 2010, Linel Lormeus, 26, Black, Naples, Florida Dec 20, 2010, Christopher Knight, 35, Black, Brunswick, Georgia Dec 31, 2010, Rodney Brown, 40, Black, Cleveland, Ohio Jan 5, 2011, Kelly Sinclair, 41, Race: Unknown, Amarillo, Texas Feb 5, 2011, Robert Ricks, 23, Black, Alexandria, Louisiana March 15, 2011, Brandon Bethea, 24, Black, Harnett County, North Carolina Apr 3, 2011, Jairious McGhee, 23, Black, Tampa, Florida Apr 22, 2011, Adam Spencer Johnson, 33, Caucasian, Orlando, Florida Apr 23, 2011, Ronald Armstrong, 43, Race: Unknown, Pinehurst, North Carolina Apr 25, 2011, Kevin Darius Campbell, 39, Race: Unknown, Tallahassee, Florida May 1, 2011, Marcus Brown, 26, Black, Waterbury, Connecticut May 6, 2011, Matthew Mittelstadt, 56, Caucasian, Boundary County, Idaho May 11, 2011, Allen Kephart, 43, Caucasian, San Bernadino County, California June 13, 2011, Howard Hammon, 41, Caucasian, Middleburg, Ohio June 22, 2011, Otto Kolberg, 55, Caucasian, Waycross, Georgia June 28, 2011, Dalric East, 40, Black, Montgomery County, Maryland July 5, 2011, Kelly Thomas, 37, Caucasian, Fullerton, California July 10, 2011, Joshua Nossoughi, 32, Caucasian, Springfield, Missouri July 19, 2011, Alonzo Ashley, 29, Black, Denver, Colorado July 21, 2011, La’Reko Williams, 21, Black, Charlotte, North Carolina July 30, 2011, Donald Murray, 39, Caucasian, Westland, Michigan August 4, 2011, Pierre Abernathy, 30, Black, San Antonio, Texas August 6, 2011, Everette Howard, 18, Black, Cincinnati, Ohio August 6, 2011, Debro Wilkerson, 29, Black, Prince William County, Maryland August 6, 2011, Gregory Kralovetz, 50, Caucasian, Kaukauna, Wisconsin August 12, 2011, Joseph Lopez, 49, Hispanic, Santa Barbara, California August 17, 2011, Roger Chandler, 41, Caucasian, Helena, Montana August 21, 2011, Montalito McKissick, 37, Black, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma August 24, 2011, Michael Evans, 56, Race: Unknown, Fayetteville, North Carolina August 30, 2011, Nicholas Koscielniak, 27, Caucasian, Lancaster, New York September 11, 2011, Tyree Sinclair, 31, Black, Corpus Christi, Texas September 13, 2011, Damon Barnett, 44, Caucasian, Fresno, California September 17, 2011, Richard Kokenos, 27, Caucasian, Warren, Michigan September 24, 2011, Bradford Gibson, 35, Black, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan September 24, 2011, Donacio Rendon, 43, Race: Unknown, Lubbock, Texas September 29, 2011, Howard Cook, 35, Black, York, Pennsylvania October 4, 2011, Glenn Norman, 46, Caucasian, Camden County, Missouri October 9, 2011, Darnell Hutchinson, 32, Black, San Leandro, California October 31, 2011, Chad Brothers, 32, Caucasian, Colonie, New York November 6, 2011, Darrin Hanna, 43, Black, North Chicago, Illinois November 13, 2011, Ronald Cristiano, 51, Caucasian, Bridgeport, Connecticut November 15, 2011, Jonathan White, 29, Black, San Bernardino, California November 22, 2011, Roger Anthony, 61, Black, Scotland Neck, North Carolina December 16, 2011, Marty Atencio, 44, Hispanic, Phoenix, Arizona December 22, 2011, Wayne Williams, 27, Black, Houma, Louisiana January 15, 2012, Daniel Guerra, 24, Hispanic, Ft. Worth, Texas February 29, 2012, Raymond Allen, 34, Black, Galveston, Texas March 5, 2012, Nehemiah Dillard, 29, Black, Gainesville, Florida March 12, 2012, Jersey Green, 37, Black, Aurora, Illinois March 19, 2012, James Barnes, 38, Caucasian, Pinellas County, Florida April 10, 2012, Bobby Merrill, 38, Black, Saginaw, Michigan April 21, 2012, Angel Heraldo, 41, Hispanic, Meriden, Connecticut April 22, 2012, Bruce Chrestensen, 52, Caucasian, Grass Valley, California May 10, 2012, Damon Abraham, 34, Black, Baldwin, Louisiana June 9, 2012, Randolph Bonvillian, 41, Caucasian, Houma, Louisiana June 20, 2012, Macadam Mason, 39, Caucasian, Thetford, Vermont June 30, 2012, Victor Duffy, 25, Black, Tukwila, Washington July 1, 2012, Corey McGinnis, 35, Black, Cincinnati, Ohio July 5, 2012, Sampson Castellane, 29, Native American, Fife, Washington September 1, 2012, Denis Chabot, 38, Caucasian, Houston, Texas September 14, 2012, Bill Williams, 60, Caucasian, Everett, Washington November 29, 2012, Robert Maurina, 46, Caucasian, West Allis, Wisconsin December 13, 2012, Philip Coleman, 38, Black, Chicago, Illinois December 25, 2012, Kevin Culp, 29, Black, Richmond, Washington January 1, 2013, Andrew Layton, 26, Caucasian, Mankato, Minnesota February 23, 2013, Christopher Parker, 33, Caucasian, Spokane, Washington
This is a list of 186 deaths attributed to Tasers since 2009. Since 2001, the number climbs to 537. For a non-lethal weapon, that’s a lot of lethal. Tasers are not a tool of convenience for cops who don’t feel like running, waiting or calming. They may be the easy way to bring a job to a quick close, but it may come at the cost of a life.
Tasers are not an easy way to teach a perp who’s boss, how to behave, how to respect a police officer’s authority.
Tasers have a purpose, it being far better to stun a person who presents a risk of harm to himself or others rather than put a bullet in his chest, but that’s as far as it goes. They are usually less than lethal. They are not always less than lethal, and no phony cause of death is going to change the fact that it killed some kid tased a dozen times.
Is it really so important to make a cop’s life easier by acquiescing in the needless use of force, the infliction of pain, the potential for death? Tasers are a weapon, and should only be allowed when a use of force is lawfully justified. Let’s cut the crap and stop sanctioning the use of Tasers because they’re convenient. It’s not a good enough reason to kill someone.
H/T Electronic Village
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i’ll believe that we are making progress in this fight when the Taser corporation starts claiming that their nice safe Tasers didn’t kill all of these people but instead the police killed them using dangerous prone restraints.
of course, as long as judges keep accepting the “excited delirium” claim the odds of that happening are zero
and on another note, for such a small population base, a lot of people sure do wind up dead in their dealings with the police in the Martisnville, Virginia area. Look up the Henry County Sheriff Department’s record – in that and many other areas – its very ugly.
and if you want to know how the justice system operates in Martinsville Google the names [Ed. Note: Deleted.]
I reluctantly let your last comment post. This comment goes too far.
that’s perfectly fine, seeing Martinsville, Virginia on the top of this distressing and depressing list made me think of that distressing and depressing place.
i’m sorry from getting away from the point of your very potent post 🙂
I’m so pleased that that’s perfectly fine.
i’d say then that we are both pleased, but this list is just too depressing.
What many people -some conveniently some out of ignorance- forget is that a Taser is a very dangerous weapon. In Massachusetts it is illegal for any individual who is not a LEO to possess a Taser even if that individual has a concealed carry permit. Notwithstanding this fact, police use them indiscriminately as tool of coercion and control on intoxicated pedestrians, angry motorists, and anyone the police do not care for.
The logic of this position escapes me. If it is too dangerous for the population at large to possess a Taser then it is too dangerous a weapon to be used indiscriminately by law enforcement.
The error of your reasoning is obvious. Police officers are highly trained professionals. We are mere mortals. Plus, we tend to be reluctant to needlessly inflict pain. Tasers are not safe in our hands.
This is also not a complete list. I am aware of at least three taser related DIC’s in Houston from 2008-2010 that are not on the list. Who knows how many of these cases are out there, but there are often has multiple causes, not only prone restraint, but drug use complicate these matters. All three I know about were also overweight, with either underlying medical issues or drugs. Those variable are what make tasers dangerous as well.
A few more:
Oct 29 2012, Derrick Birdow, 33, black, Forest Hill TX
Jan 4 2013, Marcus Dewayne Slade, 32, black, Marshall TX
Jan 17 2013, Bruce Thomson, 49, race unk, Logan UT
Feb 8 2013, Steven B. Mackenzie, 54, race unk, Flint MI
Feb 24,2013, Charles A Baker, 30, race unk, Jamestown, NY
Mar 21 2013, Bobby Madewell, Jr, 51, race unk, Gregg County, TX
Mar 24 2013, Khari Neville Illidge, 25, race unk, Phenix City, AL
Apr 10 2013, Jackie McBeth, 21, race unk, Union SC
Apr 10 2013, Thomas Jeffrey Sadler, 45 race unk, Raleigh NC
Apr 12 2013, Rodney Evans, 42, race unk, Flint, MI
Thank you.
I was interested enough to have written about it long ago.