RaleighSport

They're trying to save face and avoid lawsuits, of course they're going to try and play the blame game even though they know they're in the wrong(In my less then humble opinion).

Anyhow, the real reason I'm posting is in about a week it will have been 2 months and still not a peep about any reports anywhere I can find. Hope they aren't trying to sweep this under the rug.

RaleighSport

We have passed 3 months now, and no report, no mention of a pending report, nothing.

RaleighSport

Well it took forever.. but here it is
No drugs, no alcohol, he died of blunt force trauma to the head (imo from falling off the bike after getting tased)
https://www.witn.com/home/headlines/A...148738265.html

SnowJob

So now the cop and local PD are going to admit blame and apologize to the victim's family. The city will also pay a large sum of money to the family to make up for their loss. Further, the local government will revisit their PD's use of force doctrines and remove tasers from officers until those officers have passed a psychological protocol showing they are not overly agressive, and until they've taken an advanced verbal jiu-jitsu course and a special weapons safety course that emphasizes how dangerous tasers can be.

Yeah, right.

Fasteryoufool

Even if he did, how the hell was a lone guy on a bicycle going to "escape" the cop?

Fasteryoufool

So you're saying that if we didn't have tazers and an elderly bicyclist didn't pull over, he should've just been shot? Interesting.

RaleighSport

I've got to say I am unimpressed with how interest tapered off in this case, I hope this doesn't get swept under the rug.

Chicago Al 

We don't know what is going on locally there. In the wake of the Trayvon Martin killing, this may actually be getting more local attention than it would have six months ago. Then again, maybe not.

Digital_Cowboy

That may be, but as you said we don't know. Here locally in the Tampa/St. Pete area there was a shooting over in Tampa between a shop owner and a regular 16-yr old customer. It has now turned out that the person who took "credit" for the shooting might not have even been in the store that day.

Other than the update I haven't heard anything new about that particular shooting. Oh, one "big" difference between this shooting and the Zimmerman/Martin shooting is that both parties are/were black.

In the original case from this thread, I can't remember was the cop white? I think (IIRC) that the victim was black. If the cop was white that might also have some small part to play in how this is handled.

When the bloody hell are we going to look past skin color and realize that we're ALL human beings?

LemondFanForeve

Im sure he DID know.........(.wait for it).........he just didn't care, like most cops dont.

This is EXACTLY why(amongst other things) many dislike cops & just another reason why I dont blame them.

rekmeyata

Well as usual we all sit here commenting on something we only have a fragment of information about what happened. Then the cop haters come out of the woodwork and spew their hate for cops because in their minds all cops are bad and evil. Great. Another mind numbing babbling post.

DX-MAN

Yeah... THAT will make the cop-haters repent....

"Uh-oh, somebody called us babblers -- guess we're wrong about the pi...uh, police."

Your post contributed about as much as mine did. But I, at least, know it.

Digital_Cowboy

The sad truth of the matter is that there ARE bad cops out there, and just like the bad cyclists give ALL cyclists a bad name. So do the bad cops give ALL cops a bad name.

I'm not saying that the cop in this situation is/was a "bad cop." BUT because of his actions a presumably INNOCENT man is now dead. A man whose family has reported was either deaf or hard of hearing.

And just as there are various levels of loss of vision, there are also various levels of deafness. Just because a person can hear a normal speaking voice doesn't mean that they're going to be able to hear say a siren. Particularly if it is of the frequency that the person has lost the ability to hear.

So it is within the realm of possibility that his hearing loss prevented him from hearing both the siren and shouted instructions as well as when he saw the lights (if indeed the officer turned them on and I'm not saying that he didn't) the victim could have (as many would) that the cop was responding to a call and that they weren't for him.

Also as has been pointed out in the various articles what was he "guilty" of? Since when is falling against the law? Yes a citizen called in a 911 complaint saying that she thought he was drunk. But how far was she from him when she saw him fall? Does she have the training to say that he was drunk?

If she was truly worried about his safety why say that she thought he was drunk? Why not just report that she saw a cyclist fall and that she thought that he might need help? Shouldn't she along with the officer involved be included in a wrongful death suit?

And just because someone criticizes the police doesn't make them "cop haters."

DeadheadSF

The jack-booted thugs strike again...

rydabent

The point is tho you dont have to be very bright to understand that if a person is tazed, he has no control, and will fall off the bike. I generally dont like big court payouts, but in this case I hope the family does get a large settlement.

Also firing the police chief and the city safety officer might be in order too. The should have had training orders in effect that the police dont taze cyclist any more than tazing a driver of a car in motion.

Digital_Cowboy

Yeah, can you see the cops tazing a motorist while they're still driving their car/motorcycle?

Given that the autopsy report found no drugs or alcohol in the deceased's system I'd very much like to know what it was that he took from his pocket (if anything) that the LEO "witnessed." And I think used in part as his justification as to why he tazed the deceased.

DeadheadSF

I suspect that what he took from his pocket was his hand. Which happened to be dark-skinned.

Digital_Cowboy

Sadly you could be right, but we'll probably never know.

As part of any settlement that "officer" needs to be fired from his job. As well as having his credentials cancelled so that he can NEVER work in the law enforcement field ever again. NOT even as a "rent a cop."

RaleighSport

IIRC an article I ran into stated the officer in question quit in December.

Digital_Cowboy

He should still be stripped of his law enforcement credentials.

I guess a good question would be, whether he quit on his own, or if he was "encouraged" to quite to avoid embarrassing the police department.

rydabent

Well when the city finally does anything would someone please post the results.

chipcom 

as a former LEO...this cop was an idiot. He could have used some weapons that are sadly missing from the arsenals of way too many cops these days: brains and patience.

RaleighSport

As promised I do check on this case from time to time and I finally turned up something worth noting.
Unsupervised probation for ex-Scotland Neck officer involved in stun *** death - The Daily Herald: Access
18 month unsupervised probation and have to turn in his LEO cert (which had already expired) looks like minor damages were also awarded i.g. funeral costs. IMO pathetic slap on the wrist.

Mans family is attempting(attempted?) a lawsuit last year as well in federal court I hope it turns(ed) out well for them.
Taser death: Family demands fed jury trial

rydabent

Thanks for the update. If more happens please keep us informed.

Rollfast

I'm not really sure why a three year old thread that was somewhat contentious and possibly helped in the demise of at least one membership is being resurrected but unless there is a connection to the original incident perhaps the thread should be retired.