Twenty-six-year-old Genesis Nyshellton Hicks had a deadly encounter with the Frisco Police Department in Collin County, Texas, on September 14, 2022. Police officers were in pursuit of Mr. Hicks because he ran as they sought to take him into custody. A taser was deployed, and Mr. Hicks fell and struck his head from its effects. Paramedics transported Mr. Hicks to Baylor McKinney Hospital, where he received care until he was pronounced deceased on September 29, 2022.

What Kinds of Injuries do Tasers Cause Continued?

Taser manufacturers’ materials reveal that taser shocks can cause the following types of injuries:

• Burns
• Infections
• Seizures
• Scars
• Vision loss
• A hernia
• Tissue damage

Research shows that a fatal complication that could be triggered by being tased is ventricular fibrillation. Our hearts beat in cycles, and a taser shock could affect a subject’s heart during a specific point of vulnerability, potentially resulting in uncontrolled heart spasms and failure.

People with Heightened Vulnerability to Tasers

Individuals with altered physiology are considered to be high risk or especially vulnerable to the effects of tasers, including the following:

• People who are taking certain medications
• Individuals with a heart condition
• Persons who are high on illegal drugs
• People who are lightweight
• Children
• The elderly
• People with excited delirium
• Pregnant women

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this ongoing series.

Providing helpful information to county and city jail inmates in Texas is the purpose of this website, and there is never an intention of making accusations against institutions or persons.

–Guest Contributor