Ex-deputy's suit against stun guns is dismissed

A former Davis County sheriff's deputy who claimed he was injured after being shocked by a Taser has had a personal injury lawsuit dismissed.

Ray Lynn Gray's personal injury lawsuit filed against TASER International was dismissed with prejudice last month in Farmington's 2nd District Court, according to court records. It means that Gray cannot refile the same lawsuit.

"This is the 26th wrongful death or injury lawsuit that has been dismissed or judgment entered in favor of TASER International," the company said in a statement released Thursday.

However, Gray still has a federal employment discrimination lawsuit pending against Davis County.

TASER International manufactures the Taser protection devices, which deliver an electric shock when fired. The devices have been hailed by many police agencies in Utah as a better alternative to subdue a suspect or someone who is combative. In May, a Davis County sheriff's deputy even used a Taser on an attacking pit bull.

However, controversy continues to swirl around the devices, which have resulted in some officer injuries during training exercises. A Pleasant Grove police officer was recently injured during a training exercise, investigators there said.

Tasers also have been blamed for contributing to nearly 200 deaths, including a Salt Lake man who died in April 2006 after being shocked repeatedly by police.

The human rights group Amnesty International has called for law enforcement agencies to suspend the use of Tasers and similar devices. The U.S. Justice Department's research arm has said it will study the stun gun deaths.

In April 2004, Gray said he was trained on how to use the Taser. As part of that training, he was required to be shot by a Taser, which administers a 50,000-volt shock.

Gray's federal lawsuit said he voiced "misgivings" about being shocked by the Taser.

"Nonetheless, Deputy (David) Harris discharged the Taser weapon into Plaintiff," Gray's attorney Randall Edwards wrote.

The lawsuit claims Gray suffered numerous injuries, including herniated discs, dislocated vertebrae, neck and head hyperextension, permanent nerve damage, muscle atrophy and mental and emotional pain.