Teenager Dies After Police Taser Him At His Own Place of Work

Teenager Dies After Police Taser Him At His Own Place of Work

www.wsoctv.com

A teenager died after police used a Taser on him inside a grocery store in northeast Charlotte.

Police said an argument escalated between Turner and one of his supervisors at a Food Lion on Prosperity Church Road. Officers said the teen assaulted a store manager by throwing an object after officers arrived on scene.

Police released a statement reading, "[Turner] was highly agitated and refused all verbal commands and began walking toward the officer." At that point, the officer used his Taser on Turner.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Absolute cowards. I refuse to believe that the police are protecting us by tasering people whenever they get a little intimidated.

The kid walked towards them looking angry so they taser him. He dies.

You see: Tasers are for situations that require near lethal force. Tasers are for when a suspect is jumping at you with a weapon. Tasers are not for putting people into submission when they have to be told twice. Tasers are not for zapping someone for walking towards you with an angry look in their eye.

Cowards. Complete cowards. These are grown men we hire to protect us and they are too afraid to stand up to an angry 17 year old. Pitiful.

They would rather taser him than stand their ground like men and behave like authority figures.

Cowards.

www.wsoctv.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 21-3-2008 by NewWorldOver]

www.wsoctv.com...
Young man of 15, was murdered by police with tazer?
? We have 450,000 dying troops? And they still say we have a conspiricey? I'm so mad about all of this? 1/2 Million troops dying and we "can't dare raise hell" or the Pentagone will drop you? What's the differance? If they
drop the troops or me? I still can die, knowing I'm a citizen of the United States of America, not a beggar from across the bay? We are in a Holocaust? What more do the murdering cowards have to do to prove they are mass murderers? Thank you.

This makes me so angry. People who aren't in optimal health (due to toxic chemicals everywhere) can be seriously injured by a taser attack. There are videos online of cops tasering each other and laughing their butts off.

You can complain about the use of the taser all you want, we weren't there, I will not call this officer a coward before I hear more about this. Plus anyone in college (even though by age) is still a teenager, they are VERY capable of handling themselves against what you call grown men. I guarantee there are more than a handful of college aged kids (in your area alone) that would physically be able to stomp you into the earth without breaking a sweat....so lets stop the games with the teenager (oh its just a little boy) approach!

Also, and more importantly...NICE LEADING TITLE you used! What in gods name does "AT HIS OWN PLACE OF WORK" have to do with anything? You make it sound like he has this "protection bubble" around him because he is at his job. It makes no sense. The ACTUAL title of your thread should be from the story: Teenager Dies After Police In Charlotte Use Taser.

I have said MANY times on this site about how I agree to a point with some of you cop haters that there ARE bad apples in my profession, and that WE DO make mistakes like everyone else...and some things that cops do SHOULD NEVER be overlooked and dealt with. I get that, but what is hard to swallow is the inability to take a step back, no matter how shocking or tragic the story, and see the WHOLE picture. And to also NOT ASSUME or MAKE CLAIMS..like the whole teenager vs grown man thing...when in the REAL world it holds no weight.

Would I have tased him? Depends on the situation...again I wasn't there to make that call. But lets keep in mind, even if the taser DOESN'T get used and the officer does go hands on and puts the kid on the ground using force...guess what...the officer STILL gets sued, STILL gets judged, STILL gets written up or fired, and the article STILL gets put on ATS for many to give their 2 cents without getting anymore information then that of one website, who THEY still don't have all the facts!!! I mean cmon people...I'll be glad to stand up and bitch with all of you when the situation presents itself...but I'll do it after I got ALL the facts.

reply to post by NewWorldOver


so if someone was walking toward you with an angry look in their eyes...after assaulting an employee of the place they were in you would what..give them a hug? So how different would it be if the police used another type of non-lethal force such as wrestling him to the ground and he died of a heart attack, would you then blame them as well....when will people give police a break, it is not like they drew iron on him an mowed him down, most people are in the job of self defense when a person who just assaulted another person comes at them with an "angry" look in their eye, the police don't know if the guys is a wimp or a 3rd degree black belt in jeet kune do, they are just doing what they are trained to do. I would much rather be tazered than beat with a night stick, you make the call

reply to post by rationalgaze


HMMMMMMM....wow that must be some deadly powerful weapon if they were zapping each other and then laughing, some people are killed by beestings, some by eating shell fish, ohhh yeah.....here is a thought...maybe people should not assault other people, I am amazed that people would actually condone the actions of the antagonist.

reply to post by littlebirdtheoutcast


450,000 troops dying? Where are they all dying? Must be some war i haven't heard of. I think you numbers a little off.

Originally posted by rationalgaze
This makes me so angry. People who aren't in optimal health (due to toxic chemicals everywhere) can be seriously injured by a taser attack. There are videos online of cops tasering each other and laughing their butts off.

Good post...and great question! I have been tased in training for my certification to carry a taser. Sure it hurts like heck, but DID NOT do anything to my health. I actually got tased 4 times. And EVERYONE in my 296 Deputy Department got tased...NOT ONE death or ONE injury!

If you do some research you'll find taser international has never lost a court case because EVERY...yes EVERY case so far was one of two things. First and most dominant was 90% of taser related deaths were because the suspect was a heavy or moderate drug user and HIGH or CRACKED OUT at the time of the incident, which led to heart failure. NOT THE TASERS fault...the DRUGS fault, along with the addict.

Then you have the last 10%...pre exsisting health issues. The others that died were ALL found to have something medically wrong. Thus the taser DID NOT kill him his pre exsisting condition did....and sure you can make the argument...well if the cops don't tase him he would still be alive! Well how nice it would be for us to roll up on scene during a fight, or guy with a gun or knife and ALREADY know his entire medical history...that would go over well right? Think about it, we have NO IDEA what this persons medical history is and by LAW we aren't allowed to know...LOGIC PEOPLE...USE LOGIC!!!

Pussies, punks, & bullies indeed. Seems more and more a regular theme for cops these days. Either their just such pussies they can't handle getting people under physical control using physical force or they're just afraid to get a tear in their pretty uniforms.

Seems they dropped physical standards as well as mental ones lately, as our police are a bunch of third string pussies that can't even handle an out of control hundred and fifty pounder.

Hey and if they can't kill em with a taser they just
Shoot them after like they did in that story.

rcwj75 - BTW, I know you not a one of the weak punks I'm referring too here in my post. Besides your obviously more intelligent than the average cop, as your willing to come here & have discourse with us.


[edit on 21-3-2008 by verylowfrequency]

What is the name of the cop? I will rate him at ratemycop.com

reply to post by verylowfrequency


Hehehe you are funny, from your post you seem to be quite closed minded. Bruce lee was less than 150 lbs, and I don't care what anyone says there are few people on this earth who could have used brute force to take him down 1 on 1 2 on1 or 3 on1 in a physical confrontation, size is no matter if the person knows how to handle themselves. When someone comes at you the worst thing to do is to judge them by their size, underestimate the little guy and you may be 6 feet under.

reply to post by rcwj75


Sir: I understand your anger.I would be hard to be a LEO.I do however think that the use of a taser would be considered more of a last resort.
There has been more than a few people killed by the high voltages crossing their hearts.Also people with neurological disorders have had severe reactions to tasers.Siezures,coma and even death.
In a situation where two officers are attempting to subdue one civillian.
Either mace or a good old fashioned blood choke would suffice.

I sense a strong presence of anarchy from all of those people who will hate a cop without hearing his side of the story.

Originally posted by rcwj75
But lets keep in mind, even if the taser DOESN'T get used and the officer does go hands on and puts the kid on the ground using force...guess what...the officer STILL gets sued, STILL gets judged, STILL gets written up or fired, and the article STILL gets put on ATS for many to give their 2 cents without getting anymore information then that of one website,

You left one thing out there police state boy: the kid would still be alive. But then I suppose that's a minor consideration when laws need to be enforced in service to your paymasters. What happened to the days when two PEACE OFFICERS would just jump on the kid and subdue him? Oh, but I guess you might hurt your little self huh? Pathetic.

reply to post by Stumpy1

Originally posted by Stumpy1


Hehehe you are funny

Well, I'm glad I made you laugh. I try not to take my self too seriously or I'd have another heart attack.

Yeah, I've very aware of that Stumpy1. Maybe I should have included exceptionally fit & well trained little guys as well.

For example most Guys in the NFL are there because they can manhandle most other humans & it just so happens that it helps being bigger & stronger. It doesn't mean there aren't exceptional little talented strong guys in the NFL, but smaller packages that operate at that level are few and far between.

In the old days even our State Patrol where I live had to be at least a certain height just to be considered for the job. Now those standards have been lowered to accommodate people who really shouldn't be in those positions because they will have to use weapons in situations that more physical guys don't have to.

So, what has happened is more and more it becomes the standard procedure for everyone to shoot first. The capable guys see what's happening and say, hey, if the punks on the force can shot in that situation why should I get bruised & cut to take this guy down?


[edit on 21-3-2008 by verylowfrequency]

Originally posted by daddyroo45
Sir: I understand your anger.I would be hard to be a LEO.I do however think that the use of a taser would be considered more of a last resort.
There has been more than a few people killed by the high voltages crossing their hearts.Also people with neurological disorders have had severe reactions to tasers.Siezures,coma and even death.
In a situation where two officers are attempting to subdue one civillian.
Either mace or a good old fashioned blood choke would suffice.

Last resport...no. Pepper Spary is only about 25% affective and when the person is sprayed they USUALLY become even more unpredictable. Swinging wildly, kicking wildly, not being able to see.. then you run the risk of them hurting themselves or someone they shouldn't...as for the old fashioned butt kicking...hey I am all for it when its warranted, but as I said, these days with SUE happy people, even when you do the right thing and take it hands on you end up losing later when the civil suit comes anyway. So ANY less lethal force is walking a fine line these days.

I agree with you that people have died because of the health conditions you mentioned but did the officers at the time know those conditions...NO! Thats the major thing, we can't know...HIPPA and other laws make it impossible. So where do we find a happy medium so that we as officers can do what we need to, to stop criminals, and the public can sit back and say, yeah I agree that was ok? As anyone should know, its easy to judge a situation your NOT involved in and have minutes, hours, and days to review and pick apart. Not so fun when you have..ohhhh 5-10 seconds!

Originally posted by resistor
You left one thing out there police state boy: the kid would still be alive. But then I suppose that's a minor consideration when laws need to be enforced in service to your paymasters. What happened to the days when two PEACE OFFICERS would just jump on the kid and subdue him? Oh, but I guess you might hurt your little self huh? Pathetic.

Hey I am not in disagreement about jumping on him and just cuffing him, so don't assume I am just because I defend the use of a taser when needed. It would be great if NOONE would die or get injured from the incidents we get into, but we didn't put him there, we didn't tell him to do the things he did. An officer had a few SECONDS to make a judgment call and unfortunatly this guy died.....but before I decide on the officers decision, I will wait to get more of the story...hence more facts.

Despite lots of all-caps posting and some mis-informed commentary (it's HIPAA, Health Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, btw), the taser is not designed to be a last-resort but more of a front-line weapon, after pepper spray.

However HIPAA does not apply directly to LEO , who, if time permits can warn about the taser and ask if the suspect has a heart condition; its application is for health care workers and record keepers. Again, not always feasible to get a medical history before attempting restraint.

If there was no medical privacy, then would that information be available to the police? Possibly, but is the exposure worth the benefit to society?

When used by the LEO pepper spray is not designed to take out the opponent but only to reduce their physical capabilities so that things like standing chokes and locks and takedowns can be more easily applied. Due to lack of training, some people tend to spray and then just stand back and hope the perp goes down. While that can be effective, more training with spray using live opponents (wearing goggles?) should be indicated. There should be a skillful combination of technical and physical restraint. Generally the overwhelming force principle works better and if done right can be less injurious to the suspect.

When used by a victim, pepper spray will momentarily affect the attacker and make escape and evasion less difficult. Again, it's a non-lethal alternative, but like tasing, there have been lethalities.

I can see both sides, but vituperation and anger aren't going to solve the issue. Accountability and better training might.

Originally posted by rcwj75
lets keep in mind, even if the taser DOESN'T get used and the officer does go hands on and puts the kid on the ground using force...guess what...the officer STILL gets sued, STILL gets judged, STILL gets written up or fired, and the article STILL gets put on ATS for many to give their 2 cents without getting anymore information then that of one website, who THEY still don't have all the facts!!!

yes, but in the above scenario, nobody has to die. The bigger tragedy is the loss of innocent life, not the criticism directed at tasers and the police use of them.