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Cowardly, Incompetent Sydney Police Murder Innocent Man with Taser
by Lema Samandar via kim - ninemsn Saturday, Mar 17 2012, 10:19pm
international / injustice/law / other press

This latest tragic fatality (of many since this lethal, now superceded, Taser model was introduced) should once and for all explode the MYTH that Tasers are a non-lethal weapon!

Cowardly Oz police resort to the use of this proven lethal weapon on too many occasions that clearly DO NOT WARRANT ITS USE! The results are of course tragic. I have personally witnessed police attend a scene, with Tasers drawn, on a man having a diabetic attack and posing no threat to the public; police MORONS following robotic formulas not their brains/instincts are the problem. It is usually female officers that are too quick to draw their weapons! Too much television and very poor screening procedures clearly contribute to these needless deaths.


Media report follows:

Taser death man 'may have been innocent'

A man who may not have been involved in any crime, and may not have posed a danger, has died after police stunned him a with a Taser in central Sydney.

Officers had identified the man as a suspect after a report of a robbery at a convenience store in King St about 5.30am (AEDT) on Sunday.

They confronted him in Pitt St and tried to arrest him.

When he resisted, they used capsicum spray and a Taser.

He stopped breathing and died despite the efforts of police and paramedics.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Mark Walton said police were merely responding to reports of a robbery and the details of what happened remains unclear.

"It's unclear as to the involvement of this man or the extent of that actual incident. Whether it is a robbery or not is unclear at this time," Mr Walton said on Sunday.

"The report of a robbery is ongoing and I cannot ... even confirm that it was an actual robbery.

"It was a case of it being reported as a robbery at this time."

Mr Walton also said he could not say whether the man was armed or whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Nor could he give any details about the Taser incident.

"We don't know what's caused this man's death. That will be a matter for the investigation and coroner," he said.

The State Crime Command Homicide Squad has launched a critical incident investigation.

NSW Council for Civil Liberties president Cameron Murphy said there should be an immediate moratorium on the use of Tasers by the state's police force.

"This incident raises serious concerns about the way in which they're used," he said.

"What's a particular concern in this case is ... they used both capsicum spray and a Taser on this individual.

"There are serious questions whether that may have led to the person's death."

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell refused to comment on the incident until he had been fully briefed, but said his government supported the use of Tasers.

"We've always supported the use of Tasers as a non-lethal alternative," he said.

"Tasers versus guns is a clear choice."

Police are yet to inform the man's family of his death.

Tasers were introduced into the NSW police force in 2009.

In October 2010, a man died after being tasered by police during a domestic dispute in western Sydney and there have been [many] deaths from the use of Tasers in other states.

© 2012 ninemsn Pty Ltd

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8437012/man-shot-with-taser-dies-in-sydney

COMMENTS

clearly culpable
by witness Monday, Mar 19 2012, 8:44am

Clear evidence (see linked video) the police used the Taser offensively and inappropriately - culpability is clear and civil action action for murder should be taken - an earlier report states that the alleged theft involved a packet of "biscuits", for Christ's sake.

This issue goes straight to the INCOMPETENCE of the new police minister and the Premier of NSW.

read for yourself:

http://tinyurl.com/76o68bk

http://tinyurl.com/8y2l4ht

NSW does not need COWARDS in its police force.

sydney police out of control
by marc Wednesday, Mar 21 2012, 3:05am

They allow a thug to bash another thug to death at Sydney airport and the police commissioner tells us this sort of thing can happen to any of us anywhere in Australia. They hid in their stations when Lebanese Muslim thugs terrorized Sydney in 2005. They killed mentally ill Adam Salter in 2009. Seems to me as if they are going for soft targets - hapless backpackers, people with mental problems, kids and impoverished citizens evading train fares and not wearing bicycle helmet. Heaven help us - this is the [cowardly] NSW police.