NJ writes:
This inquiry appears to be very misleading.
I don't see how it is misleading to take all known deaths that occurred after being tasered and then trying to determine the cause of death. This is what a scientist would do, take
ALL the evidence and then determine if
ANY may be related to tasering, not just take the first eight and pronounce the purpose of the study misleading.
The article clearly states:
quote:
In 27 cases, medical examiners said Tasers were a cause, a contributing factor or could not be ruled out in someone's death.
The article did not say that every case was a cause, contributing factor, or could not be ruled out, it said in 27 cases out of the 167 studied the medical examiners determined tasering either did or may have contributed to death.
Instead of looking at just the first 8 cases, why not look at the first 100 and then make a determination with a larger sample size. If you had considered such a notion you should have noticed:
11. Eddie Alvarado, 32, Los Angeles, June 10, 2002Alvarado died after being shot five times with a Taser by Los Angeles police officers in 2002. He was fighting with officers after having a seizure. The coroner said he died from a mixture of methamphetamine and cocaine while being restrained. The coroner said the stun gun could not be ruled out as a cause of death and indicated a relationship between the Taser and Alvarado's heart attack.
16. Johnney Lozoya, age unknown, Gardena, Calif., July 19, 2002Lozoya was seen running on the roof of a convalescent home. A few minutes later, police received reports that he was jumping on a parked car. Officers found Lozoya unconscious in the street and he was taken to a hospital, where he awoke and became combative. An officer shocked him. Several minutes later he died. An autopsy report shows Lozoya died of hypoxic encephalopathy, cardiac arrest and cocaine intoxication. But the medical examiner reported, "one cannot exclude the Taser causing the above damage to the tissues, specifically, the heart."
34. James Borden, 47, Monroe County, Ind., Nov. 6, 2003 On the eve of his father's funeral, Borden was arrested on a minor violation. Although officers were supposed to transport him to a hospital, he was taken to jail instead. Upon arrival at the jail, Borden did not follow commands of jailers. He was first shot with a Taser for initially refusing to pull up his pants. A jailer shocked him repeatedly until he collapsed and died. The autopsy report lists cause of death as a heart attack due to an enlarged heart, pharmacologic intoxication and electrical shocks from Taser. The jailer who shocked Borden has been charged with two counts of felony battery, including battery while armed with a deadly weapon.
42. William Lomax, 26, Las Vegas, Nev., Feb. 21, 2004Lomax died after being shocked multiple times during a struggle with police and private security at a public housing complex. A jury at a coroner's inquest ruled that the Taser contributed his death. The Clark County Coroner says the death raises questions about the way Tasers are used. Lomax was high on PCP, a stimulant known for its ability to spark aggression. The coroner said multiple Taser bursts prevented Lomax from being able to breathe and ultimately contributed to a cardiac arrest. Doctors could not say if Lomax would have died if the Taser had not been used.
59. Kris Lieberman, 32, Bushkill Twp., Penn., June 24, 2004Lieberman was found naked in a cornfield, crawling around and talking to himself. Officers said Lieberman lunged at them when they attempted to talk to him. They shocked him with a stun gun three times until he lost consciousness. Officers tried to revive him but he was pronounced dead a short time later. A medical examiner reported that Lieberman had high levels of cocaine in his system. The medical examiner also said the exertion of Lieberman’s fight with police - including shocks from a Taser and restraint - contributed to his death.
64. Milton Salazar, 29, Mesa, July 23, 2004Hours after Salazar was released from the state prison on July 21, police said he reportedly threw rocks at motorists on Dobson Road then entered a convenience store and threw candy bars at the clerk. When an officer tried to arrest him, Salazar lay on the floor with his hands underneath his body and refused to obey commands. Officers shocked Salazar multiple times and when they rolled him over, he immediately turned white. Salazar was taken to Banner Desert Medical Center, where he died two days later. Police say chemical tests showed he had cocaine in his system. The medical examiner found that Salazar died of complications from excited delirium due to cocaine intoxication. The autopsy report said the shocks from Taser and the stress of his struggle with police contributed to Salazar's death.
70. William Teasley, 31, Anderson, S.C., Aug 16, 2004 Teasley was arrested for disorderly conduct. Deputies say he became violent while they tried to book him into jail. During a struggle, deputies shocked Teasley with a Taser. He stopped breathing. The coroner said Taser contributed directly to Teasley's death, saying it was the proverbial last straw. The coroner said his heart, spleen and liver were enlarged, he had hardened arteries and an obstructed airway. "The added stress of Taser shock with its electrical current was proximal to the cardiac arrhythmia and must be considered contributory," the autopsy report states.
The coroner says officials with Taser International asked his office to reverse its ruling and leave the Taser out of the autopsy report.
Did you notice the last sentence in the last incident listed?
Looking at the first 100 provides a more representative sample, with some of the more questionable incidents listed above.
At any rate, I think this shows that tasering is not a safe procedure under many circumstances. Of course one would have to actually read most of the article to understand this fact.
Edited by anglagard, : bold notorious last sentence to attract attention
Edited by anglagard, : clarity
™ Version 4.2
