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Bronx Man Dies After Being Tasered By NYPD
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 3, 2016
Modified Aug 1, 2017
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By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 3, 2016
Modified Aug 1, 2017
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A 49-year-old man who was allegedly threatening cops with a glass bottle died after being hit by a police officer's stun gun in the Bronx. Investigators say the man went into cardiac arrest after he was Tased and was later pronounced dead.
A neighbor said the man was a "good guy... Never bothered anybody. Didn’t think he would go like that."
Police say that officers from the 45th Precinct responded to a 911 call about an emotionally disturbed person "who was armed with a knife and acting violently at 1840 Mayflower Avenue in the Bronx." Three officers and a sergeant found the 49-year-old man, who, the NYPD states, "threatened them with a glass bottle." The sergeant then fired the Taser at the suspect.
A police source tells the Daily News that after being Tased once, the man got up and allegedly tried to fight the officers, at which point the sergeant Tased him a second time.
That's when the man went into cardiac arrest, and the police personnel performed CPR. He was pronounced dead at Einstein Hospital at 7:22 p.m. The NYPD says the incident is being investigated by the Force Investigation Division pending determination of the cause of death.
"He’s not an aggressive guy at all, he’s a real good man," a neighbor told the Daily News. "He works out in Long Island. He cuts cold cuts — he’s a deli guy. He was real good with my son. My son called him ‘Big Buddy.'"
NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is also looking at the incident to determine whether his office will conduct an investigation. Last month, Schneiderman announced he would not investigate a police sergeant who was widely criticized for fatally shooting a 66-year-old woman who was allegedly threatening officers with a baseball bat. The sergeant had a Taser but used his firearm instead; the Bronx DA's office is leading the investigation.
Amy Spitalnick, spokeswoman for the NY Attorney General, said members of the office's Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit were dispatched to the scene to review the incident for jurisdiction under the executive order.
Some police Taser incidents have resulted in fatalities, including a 2008 incident where a naked man was Tasered while on a building ledge and fell to his death.
Tagged
bronx
police death
stun gun
taser
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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