A Minneapolis man, David Cornelius Smith, 28, shot by police with a Taser last Thursday during an altercation at the downtown Minneapolis YMCA is on life support and is not expected to survive, a family member said Saturday. ... Larry Smith said the initial jolt from the Taser caused David Smith to go into cardiac arrest. "It didn't stop his heart; it killed him," he said. "Paramedics restarted his heart on scene." Since he arrived at the hospital Thursday, Smith's heart has stopped again and once again he was revived, his uncle said. He said David Smith did not have any underlying physical health issues. "To the best of my knowledge, he was a healthy young man who loved to play basketball," Larry Smith said. ...[LINK]
Let me guess. X26 Taser. Chest hit with a transcardiac vector.
I wonder if Dr. Jeffrey Ho (a well-known Taser International 'apologist', and he works at the same hospital) is keeping a very low profile? Hiding in a broom closet? Maybe taking the month off? Certainly not marching in and trying to explain "excited delirium" to the family...?
It's tragic that people are still dying BECAUSE OF the denial of risks.
NOTE: It might be worth correlating the Taser Use Policy in effect at the time (even now) with the latest taser safety information released by Taser International on May 1st, 2010 [LINK]. I'll bet that the local police have not yet incorporated the new warnings, they're probably still using 'stale' policy based on Taser International's previous false claims of taser safety. This case is a perfect nightmare for the police, and for Taser International.
The Minneapolis police will eventually update their policy (as Palo Alto recently did), and it's going to be very awkward for them to explain why they didn't do so in May.
I wish the family of David Smith the best. My thoughts are with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment