Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 12, 2007 16:26:13 GMT -5
Commonwealth’s Attorney David Stengel said Wednesday that two police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in connection with a man’s death following multiple shocks from Taser guns.
Preliminary police reports indicated that Officers Michael Campbell and Matthew Metzler shocked Larry Noles after he exhibited threatening behavior in a Louisville intersection in September.
Stengel’s determination comes a little over month after a medical report released by the Jefferson County coroner said that shocks from police Taser guns did not kill Noles.
Noles, 52, was shocked multiple times by police after he ran naked into the intersection of Seventh Street and Algonquin Parkway in September.
"I don't know what else they could've done except what they did in that situation," Stengel said. "I guess if they had a huge net or something they could've thrown it on him."
Police said Noles was acting erratically and refused their orders to calm down before he was shocked several times by officers at the scene.
"He was not swinging at them or anything like that that would've looked like violence to anybody," Stengel said. "But he was coming at them after they told him to calm down and sit there. He was alive after (the shocks), he was struggling with them when they went to cuff him."
According to the report by coroner Dr. Ron Holmes, Noles died of Bell’s mania and excited delirium.
Holmes said Noles' body was in a state of hyperactivity, and the Taser shocks did not play a role in his death.
Noles' son said in November that regardless of the medical examiner's finding, he still believes the Taser shocks, not emotional problems, killed his father.
"We'd been through this before and he came out of it strong," Lenny Brown said. "Now, you put those Tasers to him and he's gone. The Tasers did it. Period."
Louisville Police Chief Robert White said after the incident that Noles threatened police, which required the use of the Taser guns.
“I was actually told that (Noles) was, in fact, attempting to strike the officers as they were attempting to subdue him,” White said.
White added that an internal police review should be completed soon, and the two officers are still on paid administrative leave.
Preliminary police reports indicated that Officers Michael Campbell and Matthew Metzler shocked Larry Noles after he exhibited threatening behavior in a Louisville intersection in September.
Stengel’s determination comes a little over month after a medical report released by the Jefferson County coroner said that shocks from police Taser guns did not kill Noles.
Noles, 52, was shocked multiple times by police after he ran naked into the intersection of Seventh Street and Algonquin Parkway in September.
"I don't know what else they could've done except what they did in that situation," Stengel said. "I guess if they had a huge net or something they could've thrown it on him."
Police said Noles was acting erratically and refused their orders to calm down before he was shocked several times by officers at the scene.
"He was not swinging at them or anything like that that would've looked like violence to anybody," Stengel said. "But he was coming at them after they told him to calm down and sit there. He was alive after (the shocks), he was struggling with them when they went to cuff him."
According to the report by coroner Dr. Ron Holmes, Noles died of Bell’s mania and excited delirium.
Holmes said Noles' body was in a state of hyperactivity, and the Taser shocks did not play a role in his death.
Noles' son said in November that regardless of the medical examiner's finding, he still believes the Taser shocks, not emotional problems, killed his father.
"We'd been through this before and he came out of it strong," Lenny Brown said. "Now, you put those Tasers to him and he's gone. The Tasers did it. Period."
Louisville Police Chief Robert White said after the incident that Noles threatened police, which required the use of the Taser guns.
“I was actually told that (Noles) was, in fact, attempting to strike the officers as they were attempting to subdue him,” White said.
White added that an internal police review should be completed soon, and the two officers are still on paid administrative leave.