Jun 7, 3:46 PM EDT


Federal jury awards $6.2 million in Taser death lawsuit

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- A federal jury in San Jose has awarded $6.2 million to the family of a Salinas man who died after police officers repeatedly shocked him with Taser stun guns.

The jury on Friday found that Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., was responsible for the death of 40-year-old Robert Heston Jr.

He died on Feb. 20, 2005, a day after police officers shocked him with Tasers as many as 30 times while trying to subdue him at his father's home. A friend had called 911 to report Heston was behaving violently.

The jury found that Taser International had failed to warn police that its stun guns could be dangerous when used on people under the influence of drugs or in conjunction with chest compressions.

An autopsy found that Heston died from a combination of methamphetamine intoxication, an enlarged heart due to long-term drug abuse, and Taser shocks.

Taser issued a statement Saturday vowing to pursue all legal channels in an effort to get the decision overturned. It also said the jury found that Heston was 85 percent responsible for his own death and the stun gun company was found 15 percent liable.

"Certainly, this was a tragedy for the Heston family as well as for the officers involved," said Doug Klint, Taser's vice president and general counsel. "We however do not feel that the verdict is supported by the facts including the testimony of the world class experts who testified on our behalf with scientific and medical evidence. Our commitment to continue to defend our life-saving products and to support law enforcement remains unchanged."

Taser has aggressively defended its products and says it has never lost a product liability suit.

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