Trigger-Happy with Taser Guns
Man Dies After Taser Is Used by Deputy
By Lori Aratani Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, November 19, 2007; B04
A 20-year-old man died early yesterday after a Frederick County sheriff's deputy used a Taser stun gun on him in an attempt to break up a fight, the sheriff's office said.
. . . The man struck by the Taser fell to the ground and was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where he died, Bailey said. The chief medical examiner's officer in Baltimore will determine the cause of death, she said.
. . . the first incident in the county in which the use of a Taser might have resulted in someone's death, according to Bailey. She said Taser use by the sheriff's office has consistently risen: Stun guns were deployed 12 times in 2005 and 24 times in 2006. Yesterday's incident was the 26th time this year in which a Taser was used by sheriff's deputies, she said.
The devices resemble pistols and can be used to shoot probes into skin or clothing. Although many local law enforcement agencies …