Family Sues Police Over Use of Taser on Boy, 6

[KC]

03/02/2006 - The family of a boy who was shot by a Miami-Dade County police officer with a Taser in 2004 has filed a federal lawsuit against the county police department, the school district, and several individuals.

The boy, who was 6 years old and in first grade at the time, was shot with a 50,000-volt Taser during a confrontation with police inside the assistant principal's office at Kelsey Pharr Elementary School in Miami.

The lawsuit, which does not identify the boy by name, charges police personnel with lying about what had happened to justify use of the Taser and accuses school officials of negligence.

Attorney David Gordon, who represents the boy's mother and other family members, says his clients want financial compensation and policy changes for the use of Tasers.

"What made this thing so troubling, is that police were just using these weapons at will," Gordon says.

Detective Nelda Fonticiella, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, said the department would not comment on pending legal action.

Fonticiella said the current policy for Tasers does not prevent their use on children.

[WaTcHeR]

Let me guess the child was black and the cop was white?

[biffy]

yep. that's the only reason there bitching.

[Tracy]

The Police have went too far. Are we to believe the 6 year old was a threat to the officer? I fear the same thing will happen in Phoenix, AZ. The school officers are to be equipped with tasers to use at their own discretion. I took both of my children out of the public school system where this is allowed. My one girl has been harassed, withholding medical supplies & treatment, name calling, special seating away from the rest of the class, denied bathroom use, and general harassment by the school. She is a diabetic. The school did not implement Fed. Programs to protect her from this abuse while she attended public school in California, as well as her public school in Phoenix. The problem is that the police and schools are obligated to work with one another because of the fiduciary agreement between the two. SCHOOLS PAY THE POLICE FOR THEIR SERVICE! This won't stop until the schools have their own security outside of the police department.

[GLOCK]

I think a lot more 6 yr olds need to be tased. If parents want the police to raise their hell raising bastard kids, then this will be what they get. Raise respectful kids and u have no need to worry.

[streetsweeper]

That's it- let's go ahead and make an opinion about what happened without knowing all the facts.

Some of you are no better, or even worse, then the supposed "bad cops" you target. If I were to make such presumptions about you or yours on the street, you'd have me up on this website in no time.

I guess it's a "Do as you say, not as you do" policy around here.