Yesterday was a busy day for police officers deploying the Taser stun gun. A 92 year old Pasco County man living in an assisted living facility was tasered by police after he assaulted another resident. On Clearwater beach, an unidentified man lost his life after being tasered by police. The police were responding to a complaint of “erratic behavior” before tasering the decedent.
While I don’t know the details in either case, I do know that when someone dies we all need to pause and ask if this death was necessary. Was there another way for police to handle these situations. Tasers are being used at an alarmingly high rate, sometimes leading to the death of the one tasered. Why aren’t tasers being investigated more aggressively? Are these stun guns really the best tool in all instances? Someone needs to start asking the questions.
