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Articles Posted: 23; Links Seeded: 4948
Member Since: 5/2006Last Seen: 11/06/2009
Member Since: 5/2006Last Seen: 11/06/2009
28 Votes
26 Comments
56-Yr Old Woman in Wheelchair Tasered to Death by Police
News Type: Event — Seeded on Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:50 AM EDT
Article Source: local6.comadvertisement
...woman's family said it's seeking justice after their loved one died shortly after being shocked 10 times with Taser guns during a confrontation with police....
The family of 56-year-old Emily Delafield said it would take the Green Cove Springs Police Department to court....
...Within an hour of her call to 911, Delafield, a wheelchair-bound woman documented to have mental illness, was dead.
Family attorney Rick Alexander said Delafield's death could have been prevented and that there are four things that jump out at him about the case.
"One, she's in a wheelchair. Two, she's schizophrenic. Three, they're using a Taser on a person that's in a wheelchair, and then four is that they tasered her 10 times for a period of like two minutes,"....
According to a police report, one of the officers used her Taser gun nine times for a total of 160 seconds and the other officer discharged his Taser gun once for a total of no more than five seconds ....the medical examiner ruled Delafield's death a homicide.....
• Man Nearly Dies After Putting Pet Rattlesnake Down Throat
• Woman Threw Baby At Officer
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 | Man Nearly Dies After Putting Pet Rattlesnake Down Throat | local6.com | Wed Sep 19 | 14 |
| Wheelchair-Bound Woman Dies After Being Shocked With Taser 10 Times for 160 Seconds | Yahoo! News | Wed Sep 19 | 2 |
| (Must See Video) OJ's Girlfriend, Free the Juice, & The Celebrity Avenger Strikes | local6.com | Thu Sep 20 | 2 |
| Glitch At Wal-Mart Photo Kiosk Leads To Discovery Of Child Porn | local6.com | Thu Sep 20 | 0 |
| Woman Threw Baby At Officer | local6.com | Wed Sep 19 | 1 |
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{"commentId":1034926,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
In my own opinion, I think that some officers appear to rely on the Tasers a bit too much. What happened to the good ole days when one officer would distract and the other would have simply tackled the old lady in the wheelchair and everybody lived another day. But we weren't there and there are two sides to every story.
{"commentId":1034926,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 13 votes
#1 - Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:52 AM EDT{"commentId":1036234,"authorDomain":"eric-albert"}
Sickening authoritarian, totalitarian thugs. Too many people have died from this device.
{"commentId":1036234,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"eric-albert"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1036342,"authorDomain":"fdbryant3"}
As compared to the gun? Lets add in injuries. And just how many have died? 1 in 10? 1 in 100? 1 in 1000? 1 in 1,000,000? When you have that number lets compare it to other methods police have at their disposal.
What happened to the good ole days when one officer would distract and the other would have simply tackled the old lady in the wheelchair and everybody lived another day.
Are you sure she would have lived? Don't you think being tackled might cause a heart attack or some other injury. Perhaps the officer would have been injured or even kill by the knives and hammer she had. Not to mention since there is a strong possibility the officers abused the use of the taser.......don't you think that maybe if they had tackled her they may then take out the baton and strike her 10 times. Heck, why not just use the gun.
As you said - we don't know what happened or why. Although I have a hard time conjuring the situation maybe their use of the taser was appropriate. Whether it was or not though it was the officers actions that led to her death. The tool was the taser but it could have just as easily been the gun, the baton, or fist and feet.
Just because a few may use the taser improperly or cause an accidental death is not a reason to take it away. Building safer tasers, better training, and better monitoring is.
{"commentId":1036342,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"fdbryant3"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":1036435,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
Building safer tasers, better training, and better monitoring is.
Yeah, but are they doing that?
Second point... just use the kid at the Kerry speech as an example. They "appear" to just whip it out at every whimper. Several officers were on the kid. Why the taser?
But as I did point out... there are two sides, so it was not some wreckless accusations.
{"commentId":1036435,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1037032,"authorDomain":"higgsa"}
Cops in this country are nuts. Amongst misuse of taser guns and other forms of police brutality, there's racial profiling, corruption, and extremism. I think the answer lies within fine tuning hiring processes, training procedures, and due justice for law enforcement officers who disobey the law.
{"commentId":1037032,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"higgsa"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1037956,"authorDomain":"martinez"}
A lot of cops are ex military. I don't think that helps much, specifically, if they were stuck policing another country for extended periods.
{"commentId":1037956,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"martinez"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":7336757,"authorDomain":"sanescience"}
Anyone with half a brain knows that the police in the U.S. are generaly the best trained / least corrupt force in the world. If your so dissatisfied with the police, go down to mexico and start a bar fight. Or just drive around in a nice car until you get pulled over.
What I don't understand is why anyone would want to be a police officer. Dealing with low lifes most of the time. Seeing horrible injuries. Getting verbally abused by ignorant people. Your frequently in physical danger. And your always in danger of making a mistake that ends your career or worse, lands you in jail and sued for any money you managed to save from a crapy sallary.
{"commentId":7336757,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"sanescience"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1035481,"authorDomain":"pobox522rlyeh"}
That's nuts. The first time I checked this article, I kept checking to see if it was some kind of satire but I guess it isn't.
I think part of the problem is that using a tazer has become viewed as something 'non-violent', an alternative way to subdue people which doesn't constitute the same sort of act as hitting them. Unfortunately they're wrong, taser's can be quite dangerous.
{"commentId":1035481,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"pobox522rlyeh"}
- 11 votes
#2 - Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:08 PM EDT{"commentId":1035634,"authorDomain":"tma"}
Taser happy cops are becoming the norm. I guess nightsticks left too many bruises.
{"commentId":1035634,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"tma"}
- 5 votes
#3 - Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:14 PM EDT{"commentId":1035668,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
Yeah, but tasers are using up all of our boxes (coffins).
{"commentId":1035668,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 6 votes
{"commentId":1035797,"authorDomain":"martinez"}
Exactly!
It's like the man who beats their wife enough and learns how not to leave a mark. Tasers need to be taken away from police... They seem to think they are toys.
{"commentId":1035797,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"martinez"}
- 5 votes
{"commentId":1036292,"authorDomain":"fdbryant3"}
Yeah, but tasers are using up all of our boxes (coffins).
Got some statistics on how often people die from a taser to back that up?
Perhaps you might want to look up the rate improper taser use vs proper use?
Might also want to compare injury and death rates of officers and suspects before the taser and after the taser?
The taser is a tool. Just like the gun, the club, and the pepper spray. It is provides an option for subduing a dangerous suspect with minimal damage in most cases. Perhaps better training and monitoring of the use of tasers may be needed but given a choice between it and the gun or club - I'll take my chances with the taser.
{"commentId":1036292,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"fdbryant3"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":1036449,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
Well Rodney King would probably think taser or club really doesn't matter and the real problem is related to the mentality of the officers themselves. Or the groom-to-be coming from bachelor party that was unarmed but shot up dozens of times. So FDB, you make a good point, the problem is not the "weapon" (I guess the use of the word "tool" is based on one's perspective), but rather the person.
{"commentId":1036449,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1036473,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
I agree with Martin.
{"commentId":1036473,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1035717,"authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}
I guess they thought she was a member of MoveOn, or an anti-war protester...
{"commentId":1035717,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}
- 4 votes
#4 - Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:35 PM EDT{"commentId":1036101,"authorDomain":"angletontruckdriver"}
In the officers defense--he was only field testing his taser to see how long the batteries would last--160 seconds--taser batteries passed!!
Now send the officer to prison for murder!!
{"commentId":1036101,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"angletontruckdriver"}
- 3 votes
#5 - Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:41 PM EDT{"commentId":1036269,"authorDomain":"fdbryant3"}
Your a bit selective in your quotes for this story Newsguru. Allow to address the following quote:
"One, she's in a wheelchair. Two, she's schizophrenic. Three, they're using a Taser on a person that's in a wheelchair, and then four is that they tasered her 10 times for a period of like two minutes,"
Now lets take that point by point:
One, she's in a wheelchair. That seem obvious on the surface and I agree with except for this little detail from the article "Officers said they arrived to find Delafield in a wheelchair, armed with two knives and a hammer. Police said the woman was swinging the weapons at family members and police." Sorry that kinda negates the wheelchair defense.
Two, she's schizophrenic. Which the article notes is documented but doesn't say if the officers knew that or not. I'm also inclined to put that in irrelevant due to knives and hammer.
Three, they're using a Taser on a person that's in a wheelchair ......who is mentally unstable swinging knives and hammers.
four is that they tasered her 10 times for a period of like two minutes, Is a valid point to which I do not have enough information to comment upon.
{"commentId":1036269,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"fdbryant3"}
- 4 votes
#6 - Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:44 PM EDT{"commentId":1036470,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
"Selective" is an inappropriate description for my choice of article quotes:
1. I seeded the article and personally am not fond of tasers and my view of them is that they're misused way too much. Therefore, I quoted the portion of the article that supported that point which also coincidentally just happened to be the slant in which the original article was written.
2. The attorney made those points from the point of the view of the attorney for the family (what else would we expect him to say.
3. Newsvine apparently has a feature which appears new to me, which warns you not to quote too much of the article. So I go back and start cutting out material until I get tired of that and hit "seed" anyway.
{"commentId":1036470,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":7337450,"authorDomain":"sanescience"}
Better the old lady with the knives gets hit with the taser, than the civil servants get stabbed and cost the tax payers a bunch of money in medical and paid leave bills.
{"commentId":7337450,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"sanescience"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1036656,"authorDomain":"dustymuffin"}
Officers said they arrived to find Delafield in a wheelchair, armed with two knives and a hammer. Police said the woman was swinging the weapons at family members and police.
{"commentId":1036656,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"dustymuffin"}
- 2 votes
#7 - Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:01 PM EDT{"commentId":1036758,"authorDomain":"LiberalRebel"}
Are some kidding me???
What the hell is wrong here? What the hell is wrong with this picture?
Please anyone with some sort of decency within their bones, halt for one second.
THINK!
Picture your grandmother, your mother, picture any defenseless individual in wheelchairs and then picture, a police woman and a policeman. Make damn sure to see them in action, on YOUR FAMILY MEMBER!
Now let me ask you...where the HELL is the National outcry?
Or have you all become so damned scared and cowardly spineless as a Nation that you lack any set of awareness of moral values enough to join in a fearsome search for justice as reprisal for this awesomely and horrifically atrocious act. An act may add perpetrated by those who are sworn in to protect at least those weaker, older and far to young amongst us.
Where are your collective sense of decency?
Where is that America we learned to appreciate and look up to. Because you guys are heading lower then many before you.
{"commentId":1036758,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"LiberalRebel"}
- 5 votes
#8 - Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:36 PM EDT{"commentId":1036793,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
Well said.
{"commentId":1036793,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1037173,"authorDomain":"mrgeniussir"}
This looks like police brutality, BUT, Someone who is swinging knives and hammer around at relatives is dangerous-wheelchair or not. Knives and hammers can be thrown.
I've lived with mentally ill people for most of my life. They can be VERY dangerous-much more dangerous than a sane person(no concept of right or wrong). For instance, an acquaintance of mine dialed 911, told them to send an ambulance and the police, then calmly stabbed his best friend-not out of anger, it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
The police need a tool (like a spray) that simply makes dangerous people lose consciousness. Pepper spray and tasers are primitive.
{"commentId":1037173,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"mrgeniussir"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1037194,"authorDomain":"fdbryant3"}
Picture your grandmother, your mother, picture any defenseless individual in wheelchairs and then picture,
Officers said they arrived to find Delafield in a wheelchair, armed with two knives and a hammer. Police said the woman was swinging the weapons at family members and police.
Sorry - she just earned armed and dangerous. Not to mention - if she was in a powerchair that in and of itself could be dangerous.
The ten tasering in 2 minutes is excessive and honestly have a hard time believing that there was any reason for it. Barring unknown evidence - the officers in question need to be in jail. However, on of those American ideals you ask us to aspire to is "innocent till proven guilty" so I will given the benefit of the doubt there are things I don't know about. That is for a jury to decide. Not my outrage.
{"commentId":1037194,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"fdbryant3"}
- 5 votes
{"commentId":1037658,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
I'm with you FDR on some of that. But unless you're suggesting that our criminal justice system is fair and functioning as it should without bias, especially in regards to treatment of officers, sometimes outrage and emotions are necessary.
{"commentId":1037658,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1038650,"authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}
Here's some objective fact re tasers from Amnest International: Their 2007 report on the United States lists tasers as a concern under the heading "Ill-treatment in jails and police custody" --
There were reports of ill-treatment of suspects in jails and police custody, involving abusive use of restraints and electro-shock weapons. More than 70 people died after being shocked with tasers (dart-firing electro-shock weapons), bringing to more than 230 the number of such deaths since 2001.
In June the Justice Department announced that a two-year study of taser deaths would be undertaken by the National Institute of Justice. Meanwhile many police departments continued to use tasers in situations that fell far below any threat of deadly force. The UN Committee against Torture called on the USA to deploy tasers only as a non-lethal alternative to using firearms.
• In August, Raul Gallegos-Reyes died in Arapahoe County Jail, Colorado, after being repeatedly tasered and strapped into a restraint chair for screaming and banging on his cell door. The coroner concluded he had died from "positional asphyxia" due to restraint and ruled the death a homicide.
• A lawsuit filed against Garfield County Jail, Colorado, in July, alleged that prisoners were frequently strapped into restraint chairs and left for hours in painful positions after being tasered or drenched with pepper spray. Guards were also alleged to have taunted and threatened to shock prisoners wearing remote-controlled electro-shock belts while being transported to court. The jail reportedly had no clear policies governing use of restraints.
{"commentId":1038650,"threadId":"152089","contentId":"971729","authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}
- 1 vote
#9 - Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:19 PM EDT{"canLink":false,"threadId":"152089","isPrivate":false}
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