In what was described in the custodial death report as a “possible mental episode,” a 34-year-old man with a knife allegedly entered someone’s home through a window. Police were called about a robbery in progress. The first officer on the scene discovered the man on the porch of the home. He was still holding a knife, and he did not have a shirt on. Other officers arrived for backup, including one who had a taser and was prepared to use it.

The robbery suspect approached officers with the knife, and he was instructed to drop the weapon. The man refused, and he continued to approach the officers. When he was within 10 feet of the police officers, the taser was deployed, striking the suspect with one of the two probes. The taser seemed to have no effect on the suspect. The taser was reloaded and fired. The suspect was hit with both prongs of the taser, which disabled him.

The suspect fell to the ground immediately, and officers quickly tried to disarm and handcuff the suspect. The young man became combative, however, and officers tried to regain control of the knife. The taser was discharged into the suspect on a second cycle. Officers were then able to disarm and handcuff the suspect.

Personnel with the fire department arrived on the scene and were preparing to give the suspect medical treatment when they saw that he had stopped breathing. An ambulance transported the suspect to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The cause of the suspect’s death was lethal cardiac dysrhythmia caused by the combination of cocaine-induced excited delirium and electrical shock from the discharge of a taser as police tried to apply restraints.

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of this ongoing series about the use of restraints in connection with custodial deaths in Texas.

This site’s posts are meant to assist Texas prisoners and their families. There is never an intention to imply that misdeeds have occurred on the part of an institution or individual.

–Guest Contributor