Posted on 10/31/2006 6:44:53 AM PST by Types_with_Fist
JERSEYVILLE, Ill. - A teenager carrying a Bible and shouting “I want Jesus” was shot twice with a police stun gun and later died at a St. Louis hospital, authorities said.
In a statement obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, police in Jerseyville, about 40 miles north of St. Louis, said 17-year-old Roger Holyfield would not acknowledge officers who approached him and he continued yelling, “I want Jesus.”
Police tried to calm the teen, but Holyfield became combative, according to the statement. Officers fired the stun gun at him after he ignored their warnings, then fired again when he continued struggling, police said.
Holyfield was flown to St. Louis’ Cardinal Glennon Hospital after the confrontation Saturday; he died there Sunday, police said.
An autopsy was planned for Tuesday.
The statement expressed sympathy to Holyfield’s family but said city and police officials would not discuss the matter further.
Calls Tuesday to Jerseyville Police Chief Brad Blackorby were not immediately returned. The department has been using stun guns for about five months, according to the statement.
In a report released in March, international human rights group Amnesty International said it had logged at least 156 deaths across the country in the previous five years related to police stun guns.
The rise in deaths accompanies a marked increase in the number of U.S. law enforcement agencies employing devices made by Taser International Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz. About 1,000 of the nation’s 18,000 police agencies used Tasers in 2001; more than 7,000 departments had them last year, according to a government study.
Police had used Tasers more than 70,000 times as of last year, Congress’ Government Accountability Office said.
Amnesty International has urged police departments to suspend the use of Tasers pending more study. Taser International said the group’s count was flawed and falsely linked deaths to Taser use when there has been no such official conclusion.
The city of St. Louis also drew unwanted attention for crime this week when it was named the most dangerous U.S. city by Morgan Quitno Press. The ranking looked only at crime within St. Louis city limits, not its metro area.
Well, isn't that something...
I guess you have to take appropriate defensive action when someone is coming at you with a Bible.
Once again, lazy/incompetent cops think the Taser is an electric squirt gun, not, as intended, a weapon to be used only when you think you need to kill the guy.
"“I want Jesus” "
Well, I guess he got his wish, but I'm sure that's not how he intended to find him.
Um...
Not enough details. He could have looked like he was going for a gun - in which case, would you have preferred that the cop empty the magazine of his regular firearm into the teen? Because that's the only other alternative in such a case.
I think we'll find that this kid was high on drugs and had a heart defect.
Exactly. Sounds pretty overreactive but do you expect all of the facts from the press?
Seems to me that unless he was threatening someone directly that this may be a case of ineptitude, at least based on what is in this particular story.
Someone who's acting strange, can be doing so for a number of reasons, menengitis, injury, mental illness, etc etc etc... It doesn't sound like the teen was threatening anyone directly, just acting strangely and ignoring the officers. Seems keeping folks away and handling it better than just force would have been more appropriate.
Sounds like the cops needlessly escalated the situation because someone didn't 'respect their authoritay."
Who knows what happened, I'm sure the facts will come out, maybe he was threatening others, but unless he was, it doesn't seem like the type of situation a taser would be called for.
There are enough details present -- and not present -- for me. If there was any way they could spin a scratch of the nose for "suspect appeared to be reaching for a gun", they would have.
And they've only been using the Tasers for five months. That says to me that, as a group, the PD really doesn't know what is likely to happen when they pull that trigger.
Sounds like a good lawsuit against someone.
Um.. he'd already been tazered once... and was down and struggling with them.. what exact gun was he going for when they tazered him again????
Sorry, but based on what little info is in this article, its hard to believe the cops didn't handle this situation poorly all the way around.
Now the facts will come out, and if the cops acted appropriately fine, but if some mentally unstable teen just died because a couple of cops screwed up royal they need taken to the woodshed.
At least they didn't shoot his dog.
Why do you suppose the stunned him twice?
Ah, those dangerous bible thumpers. I'm in St. Louis. No, this kid did not look like he was going for a gun. The police were scared because of his "extreme" religious position. Holding a bible and wanting Jesus. He has to be CRAZY. Hey Larry (with the GED education), stun him. Well Sgt. Bob (with a high school education), he is still struggling. Stun him again until he stops moving.
Duh Sarg....I think he would still be moving as we shock the hell out of him.
Perhaps the police thought he had one more thump left in his Bible. ;^)
Regarding police screw ups. Have you seen this?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9VNB7Z40w00
Perhaps yelling that Name of all names incited some denizens from Hell?
Stupid police officers.
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