The Taser is a dangerous weapon: the more it is used, the more people are going to die, one retired US police officer says
A policeman wears an Electric Taser in a belt holster, on June 12, 2020. Picture: CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP
“These racial disparities in Taser deaths are horrifying but unsurprising,” said Carl Takei, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union. “Police violence is a leading cause of death for black people in the US, in large part because overpolicing of black and brown communities results in unnecessary police contacts and unnecessary use of force.”
In a series of reports in 2017, however, Reuters identified more than 1,000 cases since the year 2000 in which people died after being shocked by police with the weapons, typically in combination with other forms of force. After the May 30 incident, one officer wrote in a police report that he used his Taser because he was unsure whether the students were armed. The Taser’s manufacturer, Axon Enterprise, warns in guidelines distributed to police departments that the weapon should not be used on people who are driving or restrained. And law enforcement experts say Tasers generally shouldn't be used on anyone who is already immobilised, such as in a car.
Martin was walking on the side of the road when a Washington County Sheriff’s deputy arrived and tried to speak with him. Martin, who suffered from schizophrenia, ignored him and kept walking. The deputy called for backup. “He was a victim of walking while black,” said Mawuli Davis, an attorney representing Martin’s family. The deputies, who were fired after they were indicted, said they followed their training on use of the stun gun.
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