Officer may face criminal charges in Tasered-to-death case

In a development that should give many pro-taser fan boys a reason to pause and think (and about fricken' time if it does), a fired police officer may face criminal charges related to the tasered-to-death case of Baron "Scooter" Pikes.

This case appears to be a clear example of bad info from Taser. And thus they also may be liable.


WINNFIELD, Louisiana (CNN) [LINK] -- A police officer shocked a handcuffed Baron "Scooter" Pikes nine times with a Taser after arresting him on a cocaine charge.

Baron Pikes, 21, was Tasered nine times by a police officer in January in Winnfield, Louisiana. He stopped twitching after seven, according to a coroner's report. Soon afterward, Pikes was dead.

Now the officer, since fired, could end up facing criminal charges in Pikes' January death after medical examiners ruled it a homicide. Dr. Randolph Williams, the Winn Parish coroner, told CNN the 21-year-old sawmill worker was jolted so many times by the 50,000-volt Taser that he might have been dead before the last two shocks were delivered. Williams ruled Pikes' death a homicide in June after extensive study. Winn Parish District Attorney Christopher Nevils said he will decide on any charges against the ex-officer, Scott Nugent, once a Louisiana State Police report on the case is complete.

...Williams said Pikes was already handcuffed and on the ground when first hit with the Taser, after the 247-pound suspect was slow to follow police orders to get up.

...Williams, who ruled Pikes' death a homicide in June after extensive study, said Nugent fired his Taser at Pikes six times in less than three minutes -- shots recorded by a computer chip in the weapon's handle. Then officers put Pikes in the back of a cruiser and drove him to their police station -- where Nugent fired a seventh shot, directly against Pikes' chest.

"After he was given that drive stun to the chest, he was pulled out of the car onto the concrete, " Williams told CNN. "He was electroshocked two more times, which two officers noted that he had no neuromuscular response to those last two 50,000-volt electroshocks."

Williams said he had two nationally known forensic pathologists, including former New York city medical examiner Michael Baden, review the case before issuing his conclusions. He said it's possible Nugent was shocking a dead man the last two times he pulled the trigger.

"This fellow was talking in the back seat of the car prior to shot number seven," he said. "From that point on, it becomes questionable [if Pikes was still alive]."

Curry said Pikes told officers he suffered from asthma and had been using PCP and crack cocaine. But Williams said he found no sign of drug use in the autopsy, and no record of asthma in Pikes' medical history.

In the year since Winnfield police received Tasers, officers have used them 14 times, according to police records -- with 12 of the instances involving black suspects. Ten of the 14 incidents involved Nugent, who has no public disciplinary record.

Nugent was suspended after Pikes' death, and Winnfield's City Council voted 3-2 to fire him in May. He is appealing his dismissal, and his lawyer says he followed proper procedures in Pikes' case. He was trained in the use of the Taser by a senior police officer who was present during the incident that led to Pikes' death, Terrell said.

Curry said Taser International, the device's manufacturer, indicates that "multiple Tasings do not affect a person." But he said he could not explain why Pikes was shocked so many times, and said whether Nugent followed proper procedure was "yet to be determined."

But a copy of the Winnfield Police Department's Taser training manual, obtained by CNN, says the device "shall only be deployed in circumstances where it is deemed reasonably necessary to control a dangerous or violent subject." And Williams said regulations regarding the use of Tasers were not followed. "It violated every aspect -- every single aspect -- of the department's policy about its use," the coroner said. ...

Baron "Scooter" Pikes - preliminary hearing to preempt Daubert motions

Town Talk (23 January 2010) - Winn Parish District Attorney R. Chris Nevils has submitted preliminary motions to the judge in the manslaughter case of former Winnfield Police Officer Scott Nugent. In the motions, Nevils asked District Court Judge John Joyce to rule on various types of video and documentary evidence that he intends to introduce in the trial, which is scheduled to begin on Feb. 9.

Nugent was indicted in August 2008 for the Jan. 17, 2008, death of Baron "Scooter" Pikes, who died while in police custody after being shot with a Taser stun-gun nine times by Nugent, authorities said.

Among the evidence Nevils asked Joyce to rule on were Pikes' autopsy report and statements made by Nugent to State Police investigators. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1 where Joyce is expected to rule on Nevils' motions and also to make decisions about expert witnesses each side wants to use.


In this case of manslaugher-by-taser [LINK], it looks like the District Attorney is making moves to preempt any surprise-surprise Daubert motions (to exclude any expert witnesses except those 'chosen by' Taser International). Well done Attorney Nevils!

If Scott Nugent is convicted of manslaughter-by-taser, then Taser International will be convicted right along with him. The main trial is scheduled to start on 9 February 2010.

This case should have some very interesting "direct" implications for Taser International and their claims.

I believe it was this incident that led them to add wording to their safety claim that tasers will not kill if used "lawfully". They had to add the word to exclude this case of death-caused-DIRECTLY-by-taser.


Background info:

...He recently examined a case in which 21-year-old Baron Pikes was stunned by a Taser after he tried to run from police in Winnfield, La., in January 2008. Pikes' death was ruled a homicide, and then-officer Scott Nugent is charged with manslaughter. Baden concluded Pikes' death "was directly caused by the cumulative effects of approximately nine 50,000-volt electroshocks from a conductive electric weapon administered during an approximately 30-minute time period after he had been handcuffed." According to the coroner's report, Pikes stopped twitching after the seventh time he was shocked. Winnfield police said Taser officials had told them multiple shocks didn't affect a person. ... [LINK]

See also: [LINK] [LINK][LINK]

Sudden death "caused by" the inherited sickle-cell trait (inexplicably coincident with being tasered to death)

Forensic pathologist Charles Wetli, whose specialty is sudden death caused by sickle cell trait... ...concluded that it wasn’t the 8 or 9 Taser drive stuns administered by Nugent that led Pikes’ death, but rather the fact that Pikes suffered from sickle cell trait. [via TNT]

In my opinion, that testimony is actually bordering on evil.

It's quite obvious that this theory is pretty far-fetched; look at the time-line (Mr. Pikes' age, versus the 'activities' immediately surrounding his death).

What are the chances that Mr. Pikes' death was caused by an inherited trait that he's obviously had for his entire life? Meanwhile he's been repeatedly taser-tortured...

On January 17, 2008, an unarmed and handcuffed black man, Baron "Scooter" Pikes, was tasered nine times within the space of 14 minutes. The coroner concluded that Mr. Pikes was probably already dead before the final two taser hits. [LINK]

This wild theory (that Mr. Pikes just happened to coincidentally die of the sickle cell trait immediately after being taser-tortured) tends to target 'persons of a certain color'; working to remove their right to postmortem justice. There's been enough of that crap already in this case; "...Off camera, voices can be heard taunting him, shouting the "N" word..." [LINK]  This highly-unlikely theory is actually in very bad taste. It stinks! [LINK]

Have a read of the following:
CHAS’ REVIEW of "Sudden Death due to Sickle Cell Crisis During Law Enforcement Restraint" [LINK]

"...killing a man with a taser stun-gun..."

A July trial date was set Friday in the case of a former Winnfield Police officer accused of killing a man with a taser stun-gun while the man was still in police custody. Attorneys for both Scott Nugent, the former Winnfield officer, and the state met with Judge John R. Joyce on Friday and set a trial date of July 13. A deadline of March 26 for all motions has been set. ...

Nugent has been charged with manslaughter and malfeasance in office in connection with the death of Barron "Scooter" Pikes.

Nugent, whose firing from the Winnfield Police Department was upheld by the Civil Service Board, is accused of shocking Pikes nine times with a 50,000-volt taser within 14 minutes. Those shocks were made while Pikes was handcuffed and in police custody in connection with a drug possession warrant in January 2008, officials said.

[Isn't that called TORTURE????]

Winn Parish Coroner Dr. Randy Williams has said Pikes did not have PCP or cocaine in his system as officers alleged, and Pikes, whose cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest on the death certificate, may have already been dead before the last two taser shocks.

...If convicted of both charges, Nugent faces up to 45 years in prison.

The family of Pikes filed a wrongful death lawsuit last year against not only Nugent but also the city of Winnfield, the mayor, City Council, police chief and other officers on the force, in addition to Taser International Inc. -- the manufacturer of the stun gun device Nugent used.

[LINK]

There are all sorts of bizarre explanations that Taser would invoke to try to explain-away this death-by-taser. They're all crap. The only rational explanation is that the taser interacted with Mr. Pikes in a manner that led to his cardiac arrest and resultant death.

The simplest explanation folks. Go with the simplest explanation.

Taser International will not likely get away with this one. But I'm sure that their legal pleadings will be even more bizarre than any they have used before.

2009 - may they have a very interesting year.

Trial gets underway for Homicide-by-taser

Jury selection in the manslaughter trial of former Winnfield police officer Scott Nugent, accused killing a handcuffed prisoner, 21-year-old Baron Pikes, by repeatedly shocking him with his Taser is scheduled to begin on Monday. Pikes was shocked nine times with a 50,000-volt Taser as he was arrested in January 2008. The parish's coroner, Dr. Randolph Williams, ruled that Pikes' death was a homicide. Williams said he consulted with two other coroners, and both agreed that Pikes died of cardiac arrest caused by the Taser shocks.

[LINK]

Mr. Pikes was killed by the taser.

According to the long-standing world view of the stun gun salesmen, this death-by-taser is impossible.

They were wrong.

And because they heavily promoted the "safety" of tasers, they should be heavily liable for these false claims.

And don't let anyone plead "innocent ignorance". There's plenty of evidence that their campaign was intentionally deceptive.

Repost: Nugent's own video...

From 3 February 2010

Nugent's own video... [LINK]

Note the "directly into his chest". That can make the Touch Torture mode lethal.

--

What was in Nugent's head while he was video taping the death of Mr. Pike?

CNN - ...The video sealed Monday by the judge shows the aftermath of Nugent's Taser use, according to sources who have seen the tape. They told CNN that it runs about 17 minutes and was shot by Nugent himself.
The tape begins with Pikes handcuffed to a chair in the Winnfield Police Department, the sources said. He had already been hit by a so-called "direct" stun -- a Taser fired directly into his chest rather than from a distance -- and eight other Taser shots.
Off camera, voices can be heard taunting him, shouting the "N" word and demanding to know if he was high on drugs, the sources said. The tape also shows Pikes foaming at the mouth and struggling to breathe. He later slumps to the floor and is ultimately taken to an emergency room with shackles around both of his ankles. CNN has seen still photographs of the lifeless body, still in leg shackles at the hospital. ... [LINK]

On January 17, 2008, an unarmed and handcuffed black man, Baron "Scooter" Pikes, was tasered nine times within the space of 14 minutes. The coroner concluded that Mr. Pikes was probably already dead before the final two taser hits.

According to Taser International, the taser is cardiac-safe. The implication is that it makes an ideal instrument of torture, with no fear of causing death.

Because of those false claims, I can't help but think that they deserve to also be held criminally responsible for Mr. Pikes death.

Nugent's own video...

What was in Nugent's head while he was video taping the death of Mr. Pike?

CNN - ...The video sealed Monday by the judge shows the aftermath of Nugent's Taser use, according to sources who have seen the tape. They told CNN that it runs about 17 minutes and was shot by Nugent himself.
The tape begins with Pikes handcuffed to a chair in the Winnfield Police Department, the sources said. He had already been hit by a so-called "direct" stun -- a Taser fired directly into his chest rather than from a distance -- and eight other Taser shots.
Off camera, voices can be heard taunting him, shouting the "N" word and demanding to know if he was high on drugs, the sources said. The tape also shows Pikes foaming at the mouth and struggling to breathe. He later slumps to the floor and is ultimately taken to an emergency room with shackles around both of his ankles. CNN has seen still photographs of the lifeless body, still in leg shackles at the hospital. ... [LINK]

On January 17, 2008, an unarmed and handcuffed black man, Baron "Scooter" Pikes, was tasered nine times within the space of 14 minutes. The coroner concluded that Mr. Pikes was probably already dead before the final two taser hits.

According to Taser International, the taser is cardiac-safe. The implication is that it makes an ideal instrument of torture, with no fear of causing death.

Because of those false claims, I can't help but think that they deserve to also be held criminally responsible for Mr. Pikes death.

"...homicide by Taser..."

C.S.M. (12 August 2008) Atlanta - A grand jury in rural Louisiana considers Tuesday whether to bring murder charges against a taser-wielding police officer in what may become a seminal case in the hotly debated history of stun guns. No US jury has ever convicted a police officer in connection with a death related to use of an electroshock weapon. But the number of deaths in which the guns have played a role has been growing, along with their use in law enforcement agencies. Now, the coroner in Winnfield, La., has found the death of one Baron "Scooter" Pikes to be homicide by Taser, intensifying a simmering controversy over the devices and exposing the tense tug of war between police and young black men in rural Louisiana. After Winnfield Parish police took Mr. Pikes, who is black, into custody one January morning, a white police officer fired a taser, jolting Pikes nine times in the span of 14 minutes. Pikes never woke up. Police said the 21-year-old Pikes was on drugs and uncooperative, but coroner Randolph Williams took a different view. In a report last month, he said he found no signs of a physical struggle, of drugs, or of any medical condition that could have exacerbated the jolts' effect. ... [LINK]

How is this possible? Weren't we told by Kroll and Taser that the tasers are essentially perfectly incapable of causing death via any internal risk mechanism? "Safer than Tylenol" was the claim.

If I recall correctly, this was the case where the victim was hit with an apparently fatal Touch-Torture taser shot directly to the chest (in addition to the six previous Touch-Torture taser shots to other parts of his body, and two subsequent Touch-Torture taser shots that had no effect since he was already dead). But you might wish to look up the details yourself.

"...cardiac arrest caused by the taser..."

In the continuing news about the taser-homicide of Baron "Scooter" Pikes by former Winnfield police officer Scott Nugent:

Nugent has been suspended. He has now been charged with manslaughter and malfeasance. He faces up to 45 years in prison. [LINK]

Mr. Pikes was black. Former officer Nugent is white. According to police records, Winnfield police received tasers in 2007. Over the last year, the tasers have been used 14 times, with 12 of the instances involving black suspects. Ten of the 14 incidents involved officer Nugent. [LINK]

The parish's coroner, Dr. Randolph Williams, ruled in June that Pikes' death was a homicide.

Williams said he consulted with two other coroners, and both agreed that Pikes died of cardiac arrest caused by the taser shocks. [LINK]

That makes three coroners in this case that support this finding. So you just know that taser will show up at the trial with four decrepit 80 year old retired coroners droning on about excited delirium and pre-existing medical conditions and possibly intervention by space aliens.

Look folks, this isn't rocket science. The simplest possible explanation is that Taser is simply wrong about the level of safety of their products with respect to internal risk factors such as cardiac effects.

Pathologist Michael Baden, bless his heart...

Clarion Ledger - ...world-renowned pathologist Michael Baden of New York City warns these high-voltage devices "can be a deadly weapon - just like a gun." [LINK]

...He recently examined a case in which 21-year-old Baron Pikes was stunned by a Taser after he tried to run from police in Winnfield, La., in January 2008. Pikes' death was ruled a homicide, and then-officer Scott Nugent is charged with manslaughter. Baden concluded Pikes' death "was directly caused by the cumulative effects of approximately nine 50,000-volt electroshocks from a conductive electric weapon administered during an approximately 30-minute time period after he had been handcuffed." According to the coroner's report, Pikes stopped twitching after the seventh time he was shocked. Winnfield police said Taser officials had told them multiple shocks didn't affect a person. ...


There is essentially zero doubt that repeated or long duration taser hits are associated with increased risk of death. This was even noted by the NIJ [LINK], in spite of the panel including at least one self-confessed taser fan boy [LINK]. And Prof Savard noted a linear proportionality between exposure time and risk of death [LINK]. This relationship pulls the foundation out from any arguments about non-causality.

Last time I checked, Taser International still had a webpage entitled "Cardiac Safety" that compares being tasered to being hit with a ping pong ball. [LINK] The basic argument being presented is that police should feel free to taser subjects all day long... because they claim there are no safety concerns to worry about. This webpage, written by "Dr." Mark Kroll is way past its best before date.


Pay close attention to Taser International. They've positioned themselves in the legal cross-hairs and their corporate Berlin Wall is starting to crumble. They're now caught in the sudden glare of a spotlight and they're very tempted to run. But if they run, they'll be mowed down by legal machine guns.

They can't stand still. They can't run.

Watch their feet. They're doing that subtle heel-and-toe sideways movement while pretending to be a statue. They've already moved about 20% of the distance and their face is betraying a subtle grin because they think that they're getting away with it.

"Don't aim at the chest to avoid controversy."


Personally, I don't think they have a snowball's chance in hell. There are way too many people watching, and they have a very long distance to reach the legal cover of a clear cut warning.

Everyone with an interest in this issue should grab a copy of Kroll's Cardiac Safety "masterpiece" before it gets yanked. [LINK]

Taser International lawyer Jerry Glas tips up at Taser-Death trial of Scott Nugent

Lawyer Jerry Glas, often described as "legal counsel for TASER International" [LINK], is now described as attorney for Mr. Nugent. [LINK]

See also [LINK] where he's described as a lawyer for Taser International even in the context of this trial.

It's most likely [speculation alert] that Taser International has offered to help Nugent with his defense (perhaps that whole Taser-Death conclusion has them running scared).

--

Here's a report [LINK] from April 2009 when Mr. Glas was teamed up with a flock of Taser International seagulls that flew into Cade, Louisiana to explain, apparently with straight faces, just how perfectly safe tasers really are.

The seagulls included:

Dr. Jeffrey Ho, a well-known apologist for Taser International, whose "expert" testimony at the Braidwood Inquiry was rejected as being "an insult to the intelligence" (that's bad).

Dr. James Cairns, reportedly an uncritical fan of tasers and apparently a good 'friend' of Taser International, former deputy chief coroner for the province of Ontario, Canada. As mentioned here [LINK], he admitted to accepting 'travel expenses' from Taser International to assist them in promoting 'excited delirium' for their own purposes. Cairns also admitted that he shielded another disgraced coroner named Charles Smith who was utterly incompetent and whose "expert" testimony over the years has destroyed the lives of innocents.

What a bunch...

And their bought-and-paid-for assurances that tasers-R-safe sure look foolish now that even Taser International has been caught finally wiggling [LINK] over the line and admitting that tasers actually ARE capable of affecting the heart, and that this warning is associated with a risk of death. [LINK]

Scott Nugent tasered Mr. Pikes repeatedly and delivered one taser hit directly into Mr. Pikes' chest. Mr. Pikes never moved again.

Taser International is defending *itself* in Winnfield

Realize this. Taser International is not in Winnfield to defend Scott Nugent. I'm confident that the management of Taser International couldn't possibly care less about the legal fate of ex-bad-cop Scott What's-his-face?.

Make no mistake, Taser International is in this because they're fighting for their own survival.

See the Truth ... Not Tasers blog [LINK] for a good description of what Taser International is doing in Winnfield.  See extract:

I couldn't MAKE THIS STUFF UP if I tried!!!

One of today's "expert witnesses" was Dr. Jeffrey Ho. According to the publication, Mother Jones, Taser International pays Dr. Ho to conduct studies and testify — he got $70,000 during one 12-month stretch (see Mother Jones - Taser's Delirium Defense). According to sources, Dr. Ho got a ride to the Canadian Braidwood Inquiry, where he admitted he is not a heart specialist, in a Taser jet. Ho also admitted some of his research was co-authored by a former Taser employee who has no medical expertise. Ho is apparently a shareholder in Taser International and some of his research is funded by the company.

According to the news report that follows, the expertise of today's other "expert witness", Dr. Charles Wetli, is sudden death caused by "sickle cell trait". In an article called "Is excited delirium killing coked-up, stun-gunned Miamians?" Dr. Wetli was described as the world's leading expert on excited delirium. Another article said that Wetli is paid to testify as an expert on the "excited delirium" syndrome in "four or five" cases each year, often to defend the police ... Wetli, who said he does not fully understand how excited delirium causes death, said he has cited it "once or twice a year," mostly in police custody deaths. So, in the case of Barron Pikes, it seems Dr. Wetli avoided the very controversial "excited delirium" defense in favour of the "sickle cell trait" defense. WTF??

And then we have the rest of the merry band of Taser-friendlies who have had input into this trial:

Jerry Glas, one of the attorneys defending former Winnfield Police Officer Scott Nugent against manSLAUGHTER, represents Taser International.

"Expert witness" Mark Kroll, Taser shareholder, serves on the corporate board of Taser and has been paid more than $800,000 over the past three years as he has been used as a witness in cases involving Tasers

"Expert witness" Hugh Calkins is a paid consultant for TASER International and sits on one of their Boards.

Taser International is apparently paying for their appearance at the trial.

Renowned New York City medical examiner Michael Baden testified that Pikes, 21, died from cardiac arrest suffered from the repeated Taser shocks. "He was healthy. He was Tasered. He died," Baden testified. "There was no other reason for his death."

Chief Kaye didn't get the memo...

In the wrong we have...

"We reiterate that to date, there is no evidence, either scientific or medical, that a conducted-energy weapon has been the direct cause of death anywhere, at any time, on any person," Chief Tom Kaye, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, said in a news conference in Ottawa. [LINK]

And in the right we have...

...Dr. Randolph Williams, ruled in June that Pikes' death was a homicide. Williams said he consulted with two other coroners, and both agreed that Pikes died of cardiac arrest caused by the taser shocks. [LINK] [LINK]
(please excuse the large colourful font)


This one example clearly contradicts Chief Kaye assertion.

Which makes him WRONG.


And that's just one example of many dozen where links have been established between taser use and death. Studies have shown that between 27% and 37% of all taser-associated deaths were linked by the coroner to the use of the taser. Taser fan-boys will continue to deny the link, but it is firmly established.

Even Taser International has slyly retreated from the position taken by Kaye. Taser International used to make that claim of no link with a world-wide coverage, but they're since been forced by the inevitable build-up of the statistics of failure to retreat to an "only in Canada" claim. [LINK] [LINK]

I guess Kaye didn't get the memo.

The tape also shows Pikes foaming at the mouth and struggling to breathe.

Pikes was reported to be "struggling to breathe" after being tasered.


Tasered, immediate "difficulty breathing", followed by death.

It's a pattern that happens over [Adil Jouamai] and over [James J. Healy] and over [Hatchel Pate Adams III] and over [Rory McKenzie] and over [Ryan Wilson] and over [Kevin Piskura] and over [Samuel K. De Boise] and over [Daniel Joseph Barga] and over [Troy Tackett] and over [unknown] and over [Michael Jacobs Jr.] again...

10 June 2010: Tasered, difficulty breathing, death [LINK]

5 Sept 2010: Tasered, "wasn't breathing", died. Deja vu [LINK]

3 Sept 2010: Tasered, "stopped breathing", died. Sound familiar? [LINK]
18 Jul 2010: Marvin Booker tasered, last words, "I can't breathe..." [LINK]
30 May 2010: Un patrón muy familiar [LINK]
9 May 2010: Cause of Death - Daniel Joseph Barga [LINK]
11 Mar 2010: A familiar pattern: tasered, "trouble breathing", dead [LINK]

19 Sept  2008: A very familiar pattern... [LINK]

19 Sept 2008: A very very familiar pattern [LINK]
...

Taser's lawyer Jerry Glas tries to discredit Dr. Michael Baden

Winnfield, LA - A well known forensic pathologist testified that the repeated electric shocks that ex-cop Scott Nugent administered to a handcuffed man caused his death. Prosecutors called Dr. Michael Baden as an expert witness in the death of Baron Pikes. ... Baden told jurors that Pikes did not have any medical conditions that would have killed him, and he did not find any other reason a healthy man would die so suddenly. ... [LINK]

I hate it when they use the word "administer" in relation to electro-torture. It's a medical term. And medics will have taken an oath to 'First, do no harm.' Taser International does not operate under such ethical rules.

On cross examination, defense attorney Jerry Glas worked to discredit Baden, asking him about his qualifications as an expert on electricity and on the taser.

I wonder what Taser International sponsored moron they're going to install in the witness box? People like Kroll and Ho are pretty much damaged goods. Any informed lawyer could utterly destroy either one of those two clowns.

--

Here's some related reading material:

How many amps in a police taser? [LINK]

See also [LINK].

Shades of Deception [LINK]

Training Bulletin 1 May 2010 [LINK]

Taser International micro-shifting safety claims [LINK]

HRS votes down Taser International [LINK]

Taser International is so screwed [LINK]

Wake Forest Taser study - 0 (or 2?) out of 5

~UPDATED~ The summary that I read at the Advocate didn't indicate that they'd found anything significant (à la Ho). I had to dig further to find that there actually were two fatalities included in the study, but they were barely worth mentioning. Given the Taser Proof Issue, they shouldn't be quite so quick to sideline fatality data.


Advocate staff writer Mr. Steven Ward wrote an article [LINK] contrasting the use of tasers in Baton Rouge and other parts of Louisiana, to the Wake Forest University School of Medicine 2009 study, "Safety And Injury Profile of Conducted Electrical Weapons Used By Law Enforcement Officers Against Criminal Suspects."

The Wake Forest study is a bit weird in that they gathered data from just six law enforcement agencies (quite lazy in my opinion) over the period June 2005 to June 2008.

They found very little to report on in the way of taser-induced injuries and deaths, which indicates 'something'. But what does it indicate? Taser safety? Or a flawed study?

Let's check...

UPDATED: The study included two taser-associated deaths, but these were discounted because the autopsy reports didn't link them to the taser. Duh! I guess that's good enough for those that haven't been following the news lately.

According to the List of The Dead [LINK] at the Truth ... Not Tasers blog, there were about 230 (#124 to #354) taser-associated deaths in North America during this period (including 11 or 12 people in Canada).

Let's focus on just the USA for this post. 230 subtract 12 in Canada = about 218 taser-associated deaths in the USA during the period June 2005 to June 2008 (inclusive). Let's round it down to 200 just in case we've included an extra month at one end or the other.

So we have (at most) two of these about 200 taser-associated deaths that made it into the Wake Forest study. Only two? [ding ding ding - sound of alarm bells going off...] What's going on with the Wake Forest study?

Is the study truly representative?


The six law enforcement agencies included in the report cover a total population of just a bit over eight million (8,059,001 according to the numbers provided in the left column summary here [IBID]).

US population during this period is about 305 million. So the study covers about 2.6% (8M/305M) of the US population. If the study was large enough to be representative, then we would expect that they'd also have about 2.6% of the taser-associated deaths included in their study. 2.6% of about 200 is about 5.2 (let's call it 'five').

A truly representative study would therefore be expected to include about FIVE taser-associated deaths in the data set.

But they have just two, and both were discounted into the disregarded column.

Ding ding ding.

Obviously the Wake Forest study may have been honestly randomized at the outset, but the intermediate results clearly indicate that the data is not representative of the much-larger, all-encompassing experiment that is being performed on the entire population of the USA.

Two isn't five. And given that AI reported that something like 37% of all taser-associated autopsy reports DID mention that the taser was a contributing factor, it seems strange that they would structure the study to avoid stumbling across this same ratio. [LINK]

Anybody have a parrot cage that needs some paper to line the bottom?


Many statistical analysis will include the mathematical disclaimer "...(19 times out of 20)".

The most generous interpretation of this Wake Forest Taser Study is that it just happens to be the 20th.


Advocate writer Mr. Ward then goes on to review some of the egregious taser incidents that have occurred in Louisiana, including the Winnfield incident where 21-year-old Baron 'Scooter' Pikes was alledgedly tasered-to-death. ("The coroner found the death of Mr. Pikes to be homicide by Taser." [LINK])

Winnfield, LA was not obviously included in the Wake Forest study.


Update details - Ah, they did have 'two'. Not the expected five, but two. "Two subjects died, but autopsy reports indicate that neither death was related to the Taser." [LINK] Given the Taser Proof Issue, then this may be an example of circular logic of the highest possible order.

Furthermore, I wonder how much denominator washing this study includes in the "nearly 1000 incidents" studied? How many were full-on taser hits to the chest? How did the details of the taser hits correlate to the 'un-related' deaths?


Commentary - It well past time to start discounting these sorts of studies with such limited input data. There exists a much larger experiment happening all across the USA and Canada and beyond. Hundreds and hundreds of taser-associated deaths. Autopsy reports reportedly mentioned tasers as a contributing factor in as many as 37% of the reports studied. Prof Savard plotted increased risk of death is linearly proportional to taser exposure. I'll bet that the X26 is more dangerous than previous taser models. I'll bet that taser hits to the chest are not-coincidentally far more lethal than hits to the back or extremities. Let's get the complete data and run the numbers.

Scott Nugent - the back story

(Updated 29 October 2010)

Presented without comment [LINK]:

- Hometown: Winnfield, Louisiana
- Winnfield police officer until fired in May 2008
- Nugent's father (Gleason Nugent) committed suicide in 2005, after being accused of corruption in police chief election
- Killed Pikes with Taser during arrest in January 2008 [Found Not Guilty 29 Oct 2010]
- Pikes was wanted on cocaine charges
- Winnfield police employed Tasers 14 times in first year used by the force
- In 12 of those 14 times, the Tasers were used to shock blacks
- In 10 of those 12 times, the Taser was used by Nugent

Nugent taser-homicide trial postponed

Winnfield, LA - ...Judge John Joyce agreed Monday to move the start of the trial to June 14. Scott Nugent's attorneys asked for more time to prepare. Prosecutors opposed the delay. In January 2008, Nugent allegedly shocked 21-year-old Baron Pikes nine times with a ... Taser while arresting him. Pikes' death was ruled a homicide. [LINK]

Nugent's attorneys need time to figure out new strategy (?).

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

WPXI.com - Allegheny County officials are forming a committee to investigate the physical effects of being stunned. District Attorney Stephen Zappala said the group will include medical professionals and law enforcement personnel. The group is being formed after two recent police Taser incidents in the Pittsburgh area.

[I guess they are starting to doubt Taser's spin and propaganda.]

Last week, Jason Schmidt, 29, was hospitalized after police used a Taser on him. Officials were called to a house on Observatory Hill on Friday, where they said Schmidt was acting erratically and was having convulsions. It took four stuns by two officers to subdue him, police said. Schmidt is currently in intensive care at Allegheny General Hospital.

Earlier this month, police in Swissvale stunned Andre Thomas, 37, who later died. On Monday night, more than 60 people attended a meeting focusing on Thomas' death. Two autopsies on the body were inconclusive. The medical examiner is waiting for the results of toxicology tests. Thomas' family said they believe police used excessive force. [LINK]


So Allegheny County's committee is going to figure it all out are they?


Here is my suggestion for a starting point (just a sanity check):

You now have the beginings of a data set; it might not yet be strictly statistically significant, but it might still be common-sense indicative. You have one taser-associated death and another taser victim in the ICU. Let's call this numerator 1.5 to split the difference. It's within a heartbeat of being either 1 or 2, so 1.5 is perfectly reasonable for this type of rough estimate.

Next, estimate the approximate number of taser deployments over some reasonable period of time. To be fair, it doesn't have to be just the past month. Take the past several months (this is being generous to the pro-taser side). You can decide how many months to include: 6, 8, or even 12. The exact number of months to include is not very critical since we're just trying to establish a rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimate of the risk of death from a taser deployment.

Now, remove from the denominator all the Touch-Torture (non-dart) mode deployments unless they were fired directly into the subject's chest (a la Pikes). Remove any misses. Remove any other denominator washing (for example, don't include any taser training hits to the back). Don't include any 'displays' of the taser spark. You want to denominator to be a reasonable reflection of real taser deployments that actually had darts on the chest and thereby should be included in the risk calculation.

Finally, divide the numerator (1.5) by the denominator (more or less about 100?).


So, is this taser risk of death ratio close to 1-in-10 million ?

Does it seem to be "safer than Tylenol" ?

These are Taser's claims (or those of their spokes-puppets or pro-taser minions).


Or is your result more like a single digit percentage result (within sight of 5%)?


To obtain Webster's 1-in-10 million number, you would have had to taser every living soul in Allegheny County on a weekly basis for several months and still have had just two casualties. Not likely.


So, what are your conclusions?

Stupid Taser Quote of the Week

Defense attorneys for former Winnfield Police Officer Scott Nugent said they plan to contest claims that a Taser stun-gun caused the death of Baron "Scooter" Pikes in 2008. ... Pineville attorney George Higgins actually said, ... [GET THIS...]

"We contend that a Taser cannot cause the death of a human being. The Taser is a non-lethal weapon."

... [LINK]


What happened? Am I back in 2007 again? LOL.