Twenty-six-year-old Genesis Nyshellton Hicks was approached by officers with the Frisco Police Department on September 14, 2022. When the officers attempted to detain Mr. Hicks, he immediately ran from them. He suffered a head injury as a result of falling after being tased. The Frisco Fire Department transported Mr. Hicks to Baylor McKinney Hospital, where he received continuous care up to the day of his death on September 29, 2022.

How Dangerous are Tasers?

A taser is a weapon aka electronic control device that fires electrical barbs or probes attached by wires to batteries. The probes can be deployed for a distance of up to 30 feet. When a person is struck by the barbs, they are temporarily incapacitated. The two probes deployed by a taser release 50,000 volts of electricity. Suspects become incapacitated as a result of their central nervous system being temporarily paralyzed.

Many police jurisdictions refer to tasers as nonlethal weapons and safer alternatives than firearms. However, tasers are very serious lethal weapons. Since 1991, when tasers began to be used, over 350 people in the U.S. have died after coming into contact with them.

The basic theory behind the use of tasers is that lives can sometimes be saved by using a taser as an alternative to lethal force.

Learn more in this continuing series.

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