#Police Brutality And Taser Murders Since 2001

Police brutality rages on as cops extend their shocking streak of one tasering death per week since 2001 after Cincinnati officers taser a black boy to death.

Everette Howard a student from Cincinnati who was planning to leave for college in a just few weeks is the latest person in the U.S. to die after being tased by police.

“Tasers are not the ‘non-lethal’ weapons they are portrayed to be,” said Angela Wright, US researcher at Amnesty International and author of the report. “They can kill and should only be used as a last resort.

“The problem with Tasers is that they are inherently open to abuse, as they are easy to carry and easy to use and can inflict severe pain at the push of a button, without leaving substantial marks.”

Amnesty International’s study – which includes information from 98 autopsies – found that 90 per cent of those who died after being struck with a Taser were unarmed and many did not appear to present a serious threat.

Many were subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks – far more than the five-second “standard” cycle – or by more than one officer at a time. Some people were even shocked for failing to comply with police commands after they had been incapacitated by a first shock.

In at least six of the cases where people died, Tasers were used on individuals suffering from medical conditions such as seizures – including a doctor who had crashed his car when he suffered an epileptic seizure. He died after being repeatedly shocked at the side of the highway when, dazed and confused, he failed to comply with an officer’s commands.

Police officers also used Tasers on schoolchildren, pregnant women and even an elderly person with dementia.

NOTE: Every Taser issued should be equipped with a camera that is triggered when Taser is removed from holster. Each murderer should be sued as an individual, they are not immune. More accountability from the enforcers would likely help them develop better judgment. Honest police must be sick to their stomachs at these abuses.