Son of KSL director dies after Hurricane police user Taser on him

HURRICANE, Washington County — A man died Tuesday after Hurricane police used a Taser on him.

Officers and medical personnel responded to a call for assistance with an agitated subject on state Route 59 Tuesday afternoon, according to a press release from the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Police have not yet released the name of the man, but KSL-TV has identified the man as Brian Cardall, 32, the son of KSL editorial director Duane Cardall.

During the incident, a Hurricane police officer deployed a Taser and Cardall lost consciousness. Cardall was treated within moments by paramedics but was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital, according to the release.

According to KSL, Cardall and his wife, who is six months pregnant, had been visiting his family in Salt Lake City. As they were driving, his wife said, Cardall, who has a recent history of mental illness, was having an episode and that prompted them to pull over in order to medicate him.

At some point, Cardall got out of the vehicle and began to run down the road, according to KSL. That's when his wife called 911. She later learned he had been hit with a Taser and was unresponsive.

"Brian is a wonderful son, brother, father, and husband who loved being with people," his family said in a statement. "He was full of personality and wanted to make a difference in this world. He was working on his Ph.D. in molecular ecology at Northern Arizona University. He loved being in the outdoors and with his daughter Ava and beautiful wife Anna. We will miss Brian but are comforted by our faith."

The Hurricane Police Department declined to comment on the incident Tuesday evening, but Salt Lake City attorney Peter Stirba, who is representing Hurricane city and the police department, issued a statement.

"Obviously, the events of today are unfortunate and indeed tragic," Stirba said. "The Washington County attorney has the incident under investigation and review pursuant to the appropriate protocol. Beyond that, the city and the police department is not in a position to comment."

— Cimaron Neugebauer and Ethan Thomas