Death raises questions about stun guns

OKLAHOMA CITY — A woman confronted by police outside a homeless shelter is the latest example of someone who died after being shocked with a Taser, an electric stun gun designed to help officers subdue violent suspects without nightsticks or guns.

But in Milisha Thompson's case, she was already on the ground and in handcuffs. Her death has raised questions about whether police are abusing the stun guns by using them as a convenient labor-saving device to control uncooperative people.

"It's a legitimate law-enforcement tool," said Florida State University criminology professor George Kirkham, a former police officer. "But it's supposed to be used as a defensive weapon. The problem we're seeing around the country is, it's being used abusively."

Amnesty International USA, which has done a study on Taser use, has counted 250 cases in which people died after being stunned with a Taser. The human rights organization cannot say whether the shock from a Taser actually caused those deaths. But some experts contend the weapon can be deadly, particularly when used on suspects who use drugs or suffer from heart problems.

A blurry surveillance video shows Thompson running near the homeless shelter, seemingly agitated. The picture is poor, but at some point she struggles with officers and is shocked.

Thompson, 35, soon stopped breathing. The cause of her May 19 death has not been determined.

Police Chief Bill Citty insisted officers acted appropriately because the 6-foot, 260-pound Thompson posed a danger, even though her hands were shackled.

Kirkham said only in rare circumstances would it be appropriate to use a Taser on a handcuffed person. If officers have problems with a handcuffed suspect, a better approach would be to bind the suspect's legs, he said.

Tasers have been officially listed as a contributing factor in about 12 deaths nationwide, said Steve Tuttle, a spokesman for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Taser International Inc., which makes the weapon. He said 11,000 U.S. law enforcement agencies use Tasers.

The company has prevailed in all 45 wrongful-death or injury cases in which it has been a defendant, Tuttle said.

Taser International and police say that no weapon is risk-free and that Tasers actually save lives by helping officers avoid more dangerous weapons.

Over the past two years, Tasers have been used on people in handcuffs in Colonial Beach, Va.; Austin, Texas; Pensacola, Fla.; and Lorain, Ohio, though none of those cases involved deaths.