Mar 4, 2008 6:24 pm US/Eastern
Syracuse Man, 37, Dies After Being Tasered By Cop
CLAY, N.Y. (AP) ―
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A 37-year-old Syracuse-area man died of cardiac arrest after a police officer used a Taser on him during a domestic disturbance, police said Tuesday. (File photo)
AP
A 37-year-old Syracuse-area man died of cardiac arrest after a police officer used a Taser on him during a domestic disturbance, police said Tuesday.
Police and Onondaga County Sheriff's deputies were called to the apartment of Christopher Jackson around 9:10 p.m. Monday for a domestic complaint involving Jackson's mother.
Jackson was found on the first floor of the apartment building before fleeing from deputies. Jackson, who was not armed, returned to his second-floor apartment and was confronted a Clay police officer. Police said he tried to grab the officer and was hit with the Taser after several warnings.
"He was trying to beat up the policeman," Clay Police Commissioner Owen Honors said. "He tried to grab him a couple of times."
When Jackson was handcuffed after being stunned by the Taser, police noticed he was not responding to their questions, and requested medical assistance. Paramedics began assessing Jackson, who went into cardiac arrest and was given cardio-pulmonary resuscitation en route to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Honors said he believed it took only one cycle of the Taser to get Jackson under control. That information is stored on a chip inside the X26 Taser model issued to police. He said the officer, who was placed on paid leave, followed department guidelines that have been in place since the force began using the weapon 11/2 years ago.
Honors said he believed it was the first time an officer on the force had used a Taser. He also said the action appeared to be warranted for the officer's safety.
"Right now, I am convinced that everything was done according to policy," Honors said.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said he would conduct an independent investigation and present its findings to a grand jury.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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