Minor tasered to death over hot pockets

Cops are necessary, and some do honestly care about the people they affect. But the profession has obviously suffered in light of all the unnecessary "toys" they've been "creatively" stocking up on in the name of "law enforcement." The problem is that too many want to match actual use with the level of creativity they envision themselves in...in justifying their preparations for this imaginary war against angry mobs, all these policing departments are more likely to assume it and invite it, thinking to error on the side of caution for their own safety (and of course, fuq the public)... Whoever is marketing bribes and this kind of fuqtup rationale to our law enforcement officials needs to find themselves swimming with the fishes as the Godfather would say. That's what needs to happen. I'm sure better cops would likelier be attracted to better pay than better toys they could do without for the larger part of their jobs. They should speak up too, but they're just as impressed and their egos are easily manipulated...

Too many (especially women) don't understand the psychology of cops. Where do they come from? They are the bullies of society. They love to inflict injury, they usually recruit cops from the USMC, where these types of people who love to kill / injure etc also gravitate towards. Psychologists say that people with anti-social personality disorder tend to take jobs such as police or military, since they have no conscience, and it's easy for them.
They are the bully club and we need to bitch slap them by not letting them continue, by keeping posting these stories and getting more people pissed off and ready to fight them. YES I SAID FIGHT THEM.

if you look the light on the tazer is pointed rite at his heart, you are trained NOT to point at vital organs and I think the heart is very vital.

The policeman didn't command the stealer to rob the food. The policeman was not stalking kids with a laser gun. The decision to steal was made by the 17 year old stealer.

Tasers are lethal and should be banned. There are dozens of taser deaths each year and police over use them all the time. If a policeman can't use his brain more then he shouldn't be on the force.

That tazer light was right on his heart! It is known that you don't go for vital organs this asshole knew it. Killing for shoplifting and returning it is just sick I feel sorry for these parents. SHIT!

most likely the kid was fired after returning to the store...being a teenager it prolly got him pretty emotionally charged..that being said its sad that we don't hire police who have black belts and degrees in psycology...imo it shouldnt take the police to defuse situations we can fix ourselves with a bit of patience and compassion.

ayashe, there are more links and even a video in the comments.... plenty of info there....

If you look at the video this cop came in and had the tazer right on his heart it had a light the people at the store didn't look that upset with the kid.

There's not enough information to go by. He didn't go back to the store to say what he did and the cops just decided to taser him. There has to be more to the story.

the 2 other employees were not backing away this is not cause to shoot the kid. he had the tazer set on his heart right on his heart. what the fuck.

All the cop got was a five day suspention that is f ing bullshit.I hope he can sleep at night.

Its inbred in Americans, shoot first and ask questions later. And too Tasers are nice toys for young ambitious police offices unless they scare easy in which case he shouldn't be a police officer. But for anyone to aim and shoot anyone in the chest where the heart is, is intent to kill.

The result of unstable, poorly trained police with power.

I didn't know these weapons could electrocute someone to death. RIDICULOUS. Why didn't they just use pepper spray?

kinda scary...

So, if your Mom ever tells you to return what you stole and put it back, kids will say "Yeah Mom, and get shot!"

Nice example, nice Police you got there huh!

the police are such idiots nowadays; it's completely ridiculous how trigger happy they are when dealing with potentially HARMLESS people.

This happened in March of 08? why are we just hearing about this now?

I'm glad people have options besides fireams to use, but tazing children to death? The guy might as well have drawn down on him.

Dont tell me we dont have the technology available to us that we cant have a dial on these things for less than life threatening charges.

And who the fuck tazes kids?

For the poster who claimed 'most tasers work'.

Taser International has said its product is "safer than Tylenol."

The tests, conducted by the U.S.-based lab National Technical Systems, used 41 X26 model Tasers from seven police departments in that country. Each weapon was fired six times.

Of the 41 Tasers tested, four delivered significantly more current than Taser International says is possible. In those cases, the current was up to 50 per cent stronger than specified on the devices.

The abnormal X26 model Tasers were made before 2005, prompting some scientists to suggest police should stop using any older versions of the stun guns until they can be tested.

The human rights group has said it believes police forces around the world have relied too heavily on the manufacturer's safety claims. It wants to see more independent tests.

Arizona-based Taser International makes virtually all the stun guns in use today. They are intended to incapacitate people with an electric shock.

The RCMP says it pulled a random sample of some of the force's Tasers for testing, based on the results of the CBC News/Radio-Canada investigation.

A force communications official, Supt. Tim Cogan, informed CBC News late Thursday that preliminary test results showed the sample of Tasers operated within the manufacturer's specifications.

Pierre Savard, a biomedical engineer at the University of Montreal, designed the technical procedure for the CBC's testing, based on Taser International's specifications.

Savard said the cause of the increased current could be either due to faulty quality control during the stun guns' manufacturing or electrical components that deteriorate with age.

The findings are troubling, since police officers are trained to aim a Taser at the chest, said Savard, who studies heart rhythms and how they are affected by electrical stimulation.

"When you combine an increased current intensity with a dart that falls right over the heart for somebody who has cardiovascular disease or other conditions such as using drugs, for example, it can all add up to a fatal issue," Savard said.

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/cbc-investigates-tasers-are-they-really-safer-tyl...

Millions and millions have been put in jail for stealing and raping and murdering, yet the stealing goes on. Most of that stealing and raping and murdering is done on purpose.
Only a few people have been killed by tasers. Those few have been killed by accident.

What is up with people, is life so cheap in America?? When it gets so bad that an adult police officer has to resort to this on a teenager, just because he may be scared!!! There are some lost life values here guys....

Most ceilings are fine and not at all defective. But many ceilings fall, nevertheless. Most tasers are not defective and work well. Nevertheless some tasers malfunction.
Analogies are never exact, the point is that most tasers work.
If a cop points a taser at you, it's not a good idea to try to attack the taser holding policeman.

I know that they didn't go into detail about what happened with the kid and the police. But if he was only 17 why use a weapon? I mean did the kid look that menacing?

WTF cops shouldn't get tazers... they should just have sticks, like the good ole days... then again they will beat their suspects to death

This is horrible. I no longer feel safe around a cop.

My friend's mother in law was unfortunately killed when the ceiling above the rocking chair she sat in caved in and crushed her.
Ban ceilings.

Time to find a better way to sedate criminals. This way is obviously too dangerous.

Many people are born with heart defects they do not know they have and ts number can be hundreds of thousands as it has taken many lives in sports and even in my neighborhood. My son went to school with a pair of twins who had defects. One died during drill practice at highschool and it was found that both brothers had this same defect. Now under these ciircumstances there will always be a chance many other victims out there with defects will be tasered and die. The question is; knowing this will tasers continue to be legal weapons? I think that tranquilizer guns like those used on animals would be safer.

I thought TASER use was for stunning pirps with non-firearm weapons and not for unarmed citizens in minor disputes. Do we have to write another stupid law to tell cops when and when not to use TASERS?

This happened in 2008. The case was just settled earlier this month.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/870727.html?q=Taser

WAY TO GO COPPERS!

for a stinking hot pocket !

it a freaking police state!

RUN!

Tasers are dangerous in the hands of those employed by the elite.Another incident of a taser used by the police as a weapon of torture and death! Another badge heavy cop getting high on power! America is no longer a democracy of the people and has become nothing more then a facist state for real with no lip service to the Constitution Or the Bill Of Rights, cause there's no need the patriot act and other facist laws passed after it allows them to do whatever they want to us whenever they choose! We,the people allowed them to screw us when these laws were passed.Freedom was traded for security and we are doomed!

bailey78! LOL! Reminds me of the story of Jesse James killing a guy over snoring.

hope the pig gets a murder charge.

I tried to kill a guy over a peanutbutter and jelly sanwich.

He was so starved he just had to get some bread and water, wait, no, I mean he just had to get some hot pockets. isn't that what they do in India where people are REALLY STARVING? They run to steal hot pockets.

Seriously though, the cops did not taser to kill and the boy did not steal to live.

how do you tazer a kid who's coming back to take responsibility for the matter?

Fucking Police State.

After employer actions, instead of calling the cops, make a food box up for the family. Maybe he was hungry and had limited resources no one took the time to care. Stealing is wrong,even if is is food, but this should of turned out better. He wasnt carrying a gun, or endangering any ones life. just keep putting matters in the arms of government, they will handle it. And to the reporter, more in depth coverage would of been good not just the death part, cover the WHOLE story. Use your talents to stir more community and parental action. Whatever side their on. This story was important to tell in depth.

BAN TASERS and pass laws making the use of them a felony.

TASERS have made cops a clear and present danger to law abiding citizens.

This is a tragedy. However....
Guarantee...the police did not know the taser would kill him.
Guarantee...the dead person did know that he was stealing.

The cops will get off just liek they always do. fascist

An eye for an eye! Public hanging of the killers!
The more we allow this behavior.......

“All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.”

-Edmund Burke

It's awful the kid died, and I don't want this to sound the wrong way, but I know some people will ignore this...

but if he hadn't committed a crime and stolen something, it would have never happened.

The kid was working at the store and his mother was telling him to do the right thing and he gets killed SHIT!

????????????????

Tragic .

and why does the headline say "man"? this was a child by law.

It's like a work-around for the death penalty ban.
Today you die for shoplifting.

A taser should only be used as a second to last resort, before pulling out the gun. Physical harm should not be an easy way out for a cop, their job is to protect everyone, even the kid they've got pinned to the wall.

do the right thing son, go back and face the consequences,

And his momma cried,
from "PROTECT and SERVE" to judge and jury.