Post by KC on Apr 18, 2006 19:05:23 GMT -5
Portland officer unable to handcuff an agitated man lying on Sandy Boulevard Monday shocked him twice with a Taser stun gun held to his back and neck, witnesses and police said.
Tim W. Grant, 46, of Medford went into cardiac arrest and died a short time later, becoming the latest in a growing number of cases nationwide that have provoked debate about the police weapons.
An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but the cause of death won't be released for at least a week. The medical examiner's office is awaiting toxicology test results to determine whether drugs were in Grant's system.
Police think Grant may have been on stimulant drugs and in a so-called state of "excited delirium," considering his irrational, delusional state and his heightened body temperature.
National concern about deaths in police custody shortly after Taser use on people under the influence of drugs, in fact, had prompted the Portland Police Bureau to update training this year and distribute a special training video on March 1.
In the video, Deputy City Attorney David Woboril calls the Taser an effective police tool. But he and Dr. Larry Lewman of the state medical examiner's office caution officers about the risks of using multiple Taser shocks on anyone who may be on drugs and is acting irrationally and unpredictably. They both urge officers to keep their struggles with such individuals as short as possible and avoid repeated Taser cycles to avoid prolonged stress on the person.
Grant, who had struggled with cocaine use in the past, was in Portland visiting his longtime girlfriend and his sister, relatives said.
He had gone out for lunch with his sister about noon. By 3 p.m., witnesses saw him running in and out of traffic, heading west on Sandy Boulevard before he collapsed.
Mike Young, an employee at the Wireless Toyz store, ran out to help the man. By then, Grant had gotten back on his feet, stumbled across Northeast 24th Avenue and fallen on Sandy Boulevard, near the curb.
"He just cursed at me and was yelling, 'Get away . . . save me, Jesus,' " Young said. "At that point, he was lying on his stomach and kept trying to roll into the road. He grabbed my ankle and was saying 'Help me, Jesus.' "
Young tried to stand between the man and traffic. "I don't even think he even really knew I was there," said Young, a volunteer firefighter in Boring.
Southeast Precinct Officer Paul K. Park, 35, responding to a 9-1-1 call, tried to get Grant off the street.
But Grant wasn't responding to the officer's commands.
"He was extremely out of it," said Brandon Milliken, Young's co-worker who had also run to the man's aid. "The guy acted like the officer wasn't even there."
Park, an eight-year veteran, tried to handcuff Grant as he lay on his stomach in the street. Witnesses said the officer was able to handcuff his right wrist, but then Grant grabbed the other cuff and wouldn't let go.
"Kicking and flipping"
"The guy was kicking and flipping and twisting," said Michelle Ennis, who watched from the nearby Timberline automobile dealership's showroom.
The officer, witnesses said, struck Grant in the back to get him to comply. Still unable to cuff him, Park ordered everyone back.
"He said 'Back up, I'm going to stun him,' " Young recalled.
The officer removed a cartridge from his Taser to "drive stun" Grant, meaning he held the gun at close range to shock the man instead of firing electrified probes into his skin.
The shocks didn't have much of an effect, several witnesses said. "He'd twitch for a second and then go back to rolling," Milliken said. Young said the man started bashing his head into the ground.
Within 30 to 40 seconds, Milliken said, two other officers -- Ney Phothivongsa, 34, and Rodney B. Murdock, 37, -- arrived, and they helped Park handcuff Grant.
Grant was still conscious and talking when ambulance paramedics arrived and started to take his pulse, witnesses said. They attempted to place him on a stretcher, but then suddenly rolled him onto his back and began emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Placed in ambulance
Ennis watched as the paramedics continued to pump the man's chest as they placed him in an ambulance. At some point after medical help arrived, Grant lost consciousness and died on the way to the hospital, police said.
Grant, a Medford high school graduate who at one time had a commercial real estate license, had lived in Portland for many years before moving back to Medford to live with his parents about a year ago. His sister said he struggled with cocaine use but had been clean for two years.
Relatives have hired an attorney to look into Grant's death.
"I can't even wrap my mind around what happened," said Kerry Avalon, 35, a younger sister. "What I don't understand is why they tased him a second time."
More than 140 people have died in the United States and Canada after being shocked by police with a Taser since 1999, according to an investigation by the Arizona Republic newspaper. In 18 cases, medical examiners said Tasers were a cause, a contributing factor or could not be ruled out in someone's death.
All officers have Tasers
Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth, attending training this week at the FBI Academy in Virginia, put Tasers in all patrol officers' hands but issued new restrictions on their use last June. The bureau also updated its training this year.
Currently, all patrol officers and sergeants carry a Taser gun. But they've been cautioned that repeated or prolonged exposure to an electrical charge may cause strong muscle contractions and impede breathing and respiration. In particular, they've been alerted to suspects who are in an "excited delirium" state and may be at a significant health risk from prolonged exertion or impaired breathing.
Nationally, the Police Executive Research Forum has issued 52 guidelines for police use of the stun guns after studying 118 deaths from 96 U.S. law enforcement agencies since September 1999. The forum also recommends against multiple shocks, saying they could increase risk of death or serious injury, and it has suggested that the gun's close "stun" mode be used as a secondary option after firing electrical probes.
Tim W. Grant, 46, of Medford went into cardiac arrest and died a short time later, becoming the latest in a growing number of cases nationwide that have provoked debate about the police weapons.
An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but the cause of death won't be released for at least a week. The medical examiner's office is awaiting toxicology test results to determine whether drugs were in Grant's system.
Police think Grant may have been on stimulant drugs and in a so-called state of "excited delirium," considering his irrational, delusional state and his heightened body temperature.
National concern about deaths in police custody shortly after Taser use on people under the influence of drugs, in fact, had prompted the Portland Police Bureau to update training this year and distribute a special training video on March 1.
In the video, Deputy City Attorney David Woboril calls the Taser an effective police tool. But he and Dr. Larry Lewman of the state medical examiner's office caution officers about the risks of using multiple Taser shocks on anyone who may be on drugs and is acting irrationally and unpredictably. They both urge officers to keep their struggles with such individuals as short as possible and avoid repeated Taser cycles to avoid prolonged stress on the person.
Grant, who had struggled with cocaine use in the past, was in Portland visiting his longtime girlfriend and his sister, relatives said.
He had gone out for lunch with his sister about noon. By 3 p.m., witnesses saw him running in and out of traffic, heading west on Sandy Boulevard before he collapsed.
Mike Young, an employee at the Wireless Toyz store, ran out to help the man. By then, Grant had gotten back on his feet, stumbled across Northeast 24th Avenue and fallen on Sandy Boulevard, near the curb.
"He just cursed at me and was yelling, 'Get away . . . save me, Jesus,' " Young said. "At that point, he was lying on his stomach and kept trying to roll into the road. He grabbed my ankle and was saying 'Help me, Jesus.' "
Young tried to stand between the man and traffic. "I don't even think he even really knew I was there," said Young, a volunteer firefighter in Boring.
Southeast Precinct Officer Paul K. Park, 35, responding to a 9-1-1 call, tried to get Grant off the street.
But Grant wasn't responding to the officer's commands.
"He was extremely out of it," said Brandon Milliken, Young's co-worker who had also run to the man's aid. "The guy acted like the officer wasn't even there."
Park, an eight-year veteran, tried to handcuff Grant as he lay on his stomach in the street. Witnesses said the officer was able to handcuff his right wrist, but then Grant grabbed the other cuff and wouldn't let go.
"Kicking and flipping"
"The guy was kicking and flipping and twisting," said Michelle Ennis, who watched from the nearby Timberline automobile dealership's showroom.
The officer, witnesses said, struck Grant in the back to get him to comply. Still unable to cuff him, Park ordered everyone back.
"He said 'Back up, I'm going to stun him,' " Young recalled.
The officer removed a cartridge from his Taser to "drive stun" Grant, meaning he held the gun at close range to shock the man instead of firing electrified probes into his skin.
The shocks didn't have much of an effect, several witnesses said. "He'd twitch for a second and then go back to rolling," Milliken said. Young said the man started bashing his head into the ground.
Within 30 to 40 seconds, Milliken said, two other officers -- Ney Phothivongsa, 34, and Rodney B. Murdock, 37, -- arrived, and they helped Park handcuff Grant.
Grant was still conscious and talking when ambulance paramedics arrived and started to take his pulse, witnesses said. They attempted to place him on a stretcher, but then suddenly rolled him onto his back and began emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Placed in ambulance
Ennis watched as the paramedics continued to pump the man's chest as they placed him in an ambulance. At some point after medical help arrived, Grant lost consciousness and died on the way to the hospital, police said.
Grant, a Medford high school graduate who at one time had a commercial real estate license, had lived in Portland for many years before moving back to Medford to live with his parents about a year ago. His sister said he struggled with cocaine use but had been clean for two years.
Relatives have hired an attorney to look into Grant's death.
"I can't even wrap my mind around what happened," said Kerry Avalon, 35, a younger sister. "What I don't understand is why they tased him a second time."
More than 140 people have died in the United States and Canada after being shocked by police with a Taser since 1999, according to an investigation by the Arizona Republic newspaper. In 18 cases, medical examiners said Tasers were a cause, a contributing factor or could not be ruled out in someone's death.
All officers have Tasers
Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth, attending training this week at the FBI Academy in Virginia, put Tasers in all patrol officers' hands but issued new restrictions on their use last June. The bureau also updated its training this year.
Currently, all patrol officers and sergeants carry a Taser gun. But they've been cautioned that repeated or prolonged exposure to an electrical charge may cause strong muscle contractions and impede breathing and respiration. In particular, they've been alerted to suspects who are in an "excited delirium" state and may be at a significant health risk from prolonged exertion or impaired breathing.
Nationally, the Police Executive Research Forum has issued 52 guidelines for police use of the stun guns after studying 118 deaths from 96 U.S. law enforcement agencies since September 1999. The forum also recommends against multiple shocks, saying they could increase risk of death or serious injury, and it has suggested that the gun's close "stun" mode be used as a secondary option after firing electrical probes.