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Fatal use of stun guns in Toledo loitering arrest termed 'justified'
by AP
Monday, Feb. 28, 2005 at 12:02 PM
elle@indymedia.org
Toledo- Four policemen have been accused of improperly handcuffing a man who died after officers shocked him nine times with a stun gun.
Associated Press
Toledo- Four policemen have been accused of improperly handcuffing a man who died after officers shocked him nine times with a stun gun.
An internal affairs investigation found that officers Michael Haynes, Douglas Lewis, Michael E. Murphy, and Brian Young violated Police Department policy while taking Jeffrey Turner, 41, to jail.
Chief Mike Navarre said video taken at the site of Turner's arrest shows officers handcuffed the suspect behind his back and attached the cuffs to a set that were attached to his ankle, a breach of department policy. However, Navarre said Friday the investigation found the officers did not use excessive force and were justified in using the Taser gun.
Sgt. Daniel Ray also faces disciplinary action over his supervision of the officers. All five remain on duty, pending disciplinary hearings March 8.
Turner, 41, of Toledo, died Jan. 31 after he was shocked five times by Toledo police and four times a few hours later by sheriff's correction officers at the jail.
Toledo police first approached Turner outside the Toledo Museum of Art after receiving a call about a suspicious person. He was arrested on charges of loitering, resisting arrest and obstructing official business, police said.
Turner's brother Shawn questioned the outcome of the internal affairs investigation. "If they didn't have to use excessive force, why did they have to [shock] him?" he asked.
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