Louisville man dies after shot with Taser

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky...e/15448390.htm

Posted on Wed, Sep. 06, 2006
Louisville man dies after shot with Taser
POLICE USE STUN GUN ON HIM THREE TIMES
By Brett Barrouquere
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOUISVILLE - Officials were trying to determine whether a Taser caused the death of a Louisville man yesterday.

Larry Noles, 52, was stunned three times after failing to cooperate with officers. He fell unconscious after the last shock, and was pronounced dead at Jewish Hospital.

No cause of death had been determined, and the autopsy is "pending further study," Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Gayle Norris said.

It is the first time since Louisville police began using Tasers two years ago that someone died after the weapon was used on him.

Neighbors in south Louisville called police about 1 a.m. yesterday, complaining that Noles was behaving erratically. When officers arrived, Noles was naked, became combative and refused to leave, police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said.

"He was a nude man, acting irate in an intersection," police Chief Robert White said. "That's not normal behavior."

White said the two officers tried to talk to Noles, with the intent of bringing him to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Officer Michael Campbell, a 10-year veteran, initially shot two darts carrying 50,000 volts through 25-foot wires, striking Noles in the chest, White said.

When Noles started moving toward Campbell and Officer Matthew Metzler, a five-year veteran, Noles was then "dry stunned," with Campbell putting the weapon directly on his neck and the back of his right shoulder, White said.

After the third shock, Noles became unresponsive and was taken to Jewish Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, he said.

White said it appeared that officers followed correct procedure, but a full investigation was under way.

The death renewed calls from critics for stricter limits on Tasers, which stun a person using electrical current.

Critics argue that not enough is known about the Taser and cite deaths caused by the device's surge of voltage.

Beth Wilson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said now is the time for the police department to stop using the weapons until their use and the dangers can be evaluated.

"Tasers are sometimes being used as a high-tech cattle prod," Wilson said. "It's supposed to be an alternative to deadly force."

In Lexington, police continue to use Tasers while they await the outcome of medical studies to determine whether there are major risks tied to Tasers. Police Chief Anthany Beatty said in April 2005 that the department will not buy more Tasers until the studies are complete.

Manufacturers and law-enforcement officials say the weapons are a safer option than bullet-firing weapons.

Taser International Inc., a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company, began marketing its stun guns in 1998 as an alternative way for police to subdue combative people. An electric current shocks the person, over-stimulating the nervous system and causing muscles to lock up.

Taser now dominates the stun-gun market, with more than 9,100 law enforcement agencies using its product.

The research arm of the Justice Department is studying the use of stun guns.

Louisville police began using Tasers in 2004, after complaints about a string of fatal shootings by police.

"I don't know what contributed to Mr. Noles' death," Chief White said. "If the Taser was the cause of his death, we'll have to evaluate where we are."