New York man dies after police use Taser. Police: "He was yelling & waving a light bulb."

[Bluebear]

“His mother called 911,” said Sharonnie Perry, who was at the scene later. “She called for assistance and the assistance she got was her son being killed.”


====
A naked and apparently emotionally disturbed man fell to his death from a building ledge in Brooklyn on Wednesday after an officer shot him with a Taser stun gun, the police said. The police and witnesses said he had been yelling at passers-by and swinging a long light bulb tube at officers before he fell.

The man, identified by the police as Inman Morales, 35, was taken to Kings County Hospital Center with serious head trauma after falling about 10 feet to the ground, witnesses said. He was later pronounced dead, officials said.

Mr. Morales’s death on Wednesday afternoon was another episode in the controversial history of Taser use in the city. While Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly has looked cautiously on the use of stun gun technology by the Police Department, he recently said he was open to broadening the use of the weapons after a city-commissioned study on police shooting habits urged the department to consider using Tasers more frequently instead of deadly force when applicable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/nyregion/25tased.html?hp
====
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Racquel McDonald was standing on Tomkins Avenue in New York City, unknowingly recording the last moments of Iam Morales' life on her cell phone.

Dozens of people witnessed it, too. Some were taking photos of Morales as he jumped up and down on top of a 10-foot high roll-down gate, swinging a florescent (sic) light bulb around and poking officers standing on a nearby fire escape.

An officer on the ground then raised his Taser gun and fired a 50,000-volt shock, immobilizing him.

"He wasn't hurting anybody. They could have just grabbed him and bring him down but they Tasered him instead and he fell to his death and it was real wrong," McDonald said.

Added a witness named "Kyle": "The man was isolated for minute … and then he just fell to the floor. They had about eight cops that could've break the fall. They just moved back."

http://cbs2chicago.com/national/taser.death.nypd.2.824996.html

[midnight]

1. Wow.

[provis99]

2. thank goodness tasers aren't deadly force

:sarcasm:

[ladjf]

3. More evidence that we are now a "police state".

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

4. A disturbed or drunk naked guy waving a lightbulb is a threat?

Jeebus, I am sick and tired of this Gestapo bullshit.

[Bluebear]

5. Yes. Yes he was, standing 10 feet above the officers. Plus he was yelling.

:crazy:

[jobycom]

6. I guess they gave him a sporting chance because he waved a light bulb instead of a wallet?

"Instead of shooting him, reloading, and shooting him some more, why don't we taser him and see how he lands. Tails he wins, heads we win. Yuk Yuk."
-----

From the link:

Witnesses said police did nothing to break Morales' fall, and his mother was standing just a few yards away. She was the one who called police, according to family friends, because 35-year-old Morales had a chemical imbalance and she believed he was suffering from a bad reaction to new medication.

----

[bdamomma]

7. it's all out war on the citizens of the US.

sad very sad.

[ReadTomPaine]

8. The safety of the public must be enshrined by law above the safety of law enforcement.

Their well being must be made subordinate to the public that they serve in all reasonable circumstances. That's the nature of public service and the price to be paid for the powers granted to them inside of our society. There are other jobs in security available for those who feel uncomfortable with putting the well being of others first.

[gratuitous]

9. Use a light bulb, get your ticket punched

When are people going to learn about the dangers of light bulbs?

[fujiyama]

10. There have been several incidents across the nation

of mentally disturbed people getting tasered, ending in death. It's shameful and disgusting!

[VOX]

11. "If Lightbulbs are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Lightbulbs."

Couldn't resist. Sorry, I'm sitting here in the wee hours, throat and chest just excoriated by an early flu bug. I don't mean to joke about this.

It does seem that the NYPD has had a significantl number of incidents that have wound up with some lurid and tragic ending, usually along the lines of "firing 27 warning shots into the suspect's head."

Do any old hands out there recall the Rodney King beating caught on video? Letting that wolf-pack of "peace officers" just walk out of the courtroom precipitated an extraordinarily serious and drawn-out riot in Los Angeles.

Nobody seems capable of ***learning*** a damned thing in this arena. :grr:

[EFerrari]

12. That's murder. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

13. I would be willing to bet, they wanted to see if the lightbulb would light up during a Taze. n/t

[bean fidhleir]

16. Y'know, that wouldn't surprise me, honest to god.

that's just about the dipshit level of "thinking" you'd expect these days from Killers With Badges.

[Sanctified]

14. I wonder if the lightbulb lit up when he got zapped?

I am not against using tasers I prefer them to nightsticks and guns however their are certain scenarios where a cop should be smart enough to see the problem with using one. A man standing naked on a ledge would definitely fall into the category of don't use a device that will cause them to lose motor functions, the cop who used the taser should be suspended, investigated and then fired if the results of the investigation shows he was negligent.

[tuckessee]

15. Oh well, anything to keep our brave, heroic Peace Officers safe. n/t

[SoCalDem]

17. A homeless lady out here was killed a while back for "brandishing a weapon"..

her weapon? a bedraggled old broom..:(

[bobbolink]

18. It's sad that so many resonses are "jokes"

Desensitization works.

:cry:

[The Straight Story]

19. So if I killed someone doing the same, would it be self defense?

Not sure a jury would but it anymore than I am with the cops.

[Greyhound]

20. Just another poor, crazy, person executed by "law enforcement", nothing to see here.

Break it up, move along now.

This is just the price we have to pay for living in a "free society".



WAKE UP AMERICA!

[uppityperson]

21. wtf is this need for a speedy anything? Spend time, get it done right.

Talk people down or take the time to be able to do it right. What is this need for a speedy conclusion bs in this culture anyways? Count all the votes. Make sure the intelligence you are given is right. Look for solutions for the problem, not bandaid immediate action that makes things worse.

Taking time to deal with things is ok. This poor guy and poor mom.

[DS1]

22. How many New York Cops does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer that and I'll shove this plunger up your ass!

[BreweryYardRat]

23. Charming.

God, corruption/abuse of police power pisses me off. This shit doesn't just get innocents killed on the spot, it also makes crime rates worse, because people who are scared of the cops aren't going to help them in their investigations or call for police assistance. (After all, look what happened when this poor bastard's mother asked for it.)

Try these corrupt cops for murder and execute them.

[KamaAina]

24. "I've got a light bulb, and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

edit: header

[onethatcares]

25. Luke, be careful of the dark side.

nt

[Ignis]

26. "If you don't want to be tasered, don't use lightbulbs!!!1!!1!"

Just trying to predict the authoritarian argument.

Where are all the usual Police Hagiographers today? :shrug:

[malaise]

27. Who pay these goons salaries

Is it still taxpayers? Are they ever accountable for murder?