Brooklyn, NY – An officer appears to have violated police department guidelines when he used a Taser stun gun on a naked, distraught man teetering on a building ledge, officials said Thursday.
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Inman Morales, 35, fell nearly 10 feet to his death after he was shocked in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. An autopsy was being performed, but police said he suffered serious head trauma.
Officers had radioed for an inflatable bag as the incident unfolded, but it had not yet arrived at the scene when Morales fell.
“None of the … officers on the scene were positioned to break his fall, nor did they devise a plan in advance to do so,” said chief department spokesman Paul Browne.
The lieutenant who directed the use of the stun gun was stripped of his gun and badge, and the officer who shocked Morales was placed on desk duty as the investigation continues. Their names were not released.
Witnesses and neighbors said Morales had become distraught and threatened to kill himself Wednesday. His mother called 911. When police arrived midafternoon, he fled naked out the window of his third-floor apartment to the fire escape. He tried unsuccessfully to get into an apartment on the floor above, and then clambered down until he reached a ledge over a shuttered storefront, where he started jabbing at officers with an 8-foot-long fluorescent light.
An amateur video posted on the Web site of the New York Post shows one of the officers raising a Taser at Morales, who freezes and topples over headfirst as the crowd screams.
The man’s death renewed focus on the use of stun guns by the NYPD. Thousands of city police sergeants began carrying Tasers on their belts this year after the department expanded use of the weapons. The pistol-shaped weapons fire barbs up to 35 feet and deliver 50,000-volt shocks to immobilize people.
Browne said the guidelines issued with the expansion in June specifically state that when possible, the stun guns “should not be used … in situations where the subject may fall from an elevated surface.”
Officers are allowed to use Tasers if they believe emotionally disturbed people are a danger to themselves or to others.
The NYPD receives more than 80,000 calls annually in such circumstances and uses stun guns about 300 times on average. So far this year, stun guns have been used 180 times. No other deaths have been reported.
The department has used Tasers since 1984, but policy previously called for sergeants to store the stun guns in their trunks while patrolling. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly acknowledged that the weapon is considered controversial, and some organizations want the weapons banned.
This does not belong on a haimishe sight like this BTW I”m not a radical chasid. But something like this is radiculas. Hope you take it off!!
NY’s finest at its best.
man is they would onle catch him, i realy wana know what was this wacked out guys issue!!! maybe to much to do before the holidays!!!!
Cops gotta do what they gotta do, some people give them no choice.
OMG
I’d be interested to hear the former Loytnent’s rationale for disproportionate use of force, and whether he regrets making the call based on available information.
He killed a guy for wearing his birthday suit.
The proliferation of instant portable video recorders is what’s going to keep law enforcement honest.
I generally support the NYPD as they do a great job. This officer, however, is a disgrace. I see no reason why he shouldn’t be tried for manslaughter.
stun guns should be allowed for shomrim only
and whomever says otherwise have a shannah tova
Ich farshtei nisht vus iz gevane zeir cheshbon ?!?! Oh, Efsher huben zei moire gehat az er vet zich alein hargenen. yetz chop ich
interesting, when police officers shot and killed Gideon bosch in a hail of bullets, no one was stripped their badges.. looks like that oneine accordance with police policy..
That taser shot was late in coming, the nut deserved it.
NY ATTORNEY,LOL
this is murder simple
I am one to always say the cops are right, but this is outrageous. A clearly disturbed individual holding a florescent gets tased?? What the heck could he have done to them with the florescent??
I can not believe the NYPD handled it this way, especially that tasing him was a clear danger to the person. Poor mother watching that happen to her son. These offices sound like a complete pack off fools.
Rt 306 Says:
That taser shot was late in coming, the nut deserved it.
NY ATTORNEY,LOL
You’re a sick individual!
I guess its true what they say about attorneys.
The taser is intended to be used as a non-lethal alternative to a gun. Tasering someone when you know they will fall from a great height to their death is NOT considered non-lethal. This is inappropriate and should merit charges being brought.
The NYPD has no clue how to deal with emotionally disturbed people. After Gideon Busch was killed in a hail of bullets, the NYPD promised better EDP training, as well as a special task force to handle them. That never happened, and here another is killed. By the way, where is Al Sharpton screaming for the cops head??
nice job NYPD
SOUDS LIKE A GIDEON BUSCH DEAL.
what are you talking about, the police were acting in self defense, can’t you see, and when they are writing excessive summonses it’s in self defense of their job
all he wanted to do was give the bulb a few volts
One less Crazy Naked guy…..
Thats Exactly what we Need…
Lock & Load
It is such a shame for our city and for all of us when something like this happens. I truly wish that all police officers would see this video and become more sensitive to people that may have problems. a person with problems is not necessarily a criminal or a dangerous person. If a member of the shomrim would have been there I know they would have grabbed him you know where. If that wouldn’t prevent him from falling they would give the guy a bris to remember.
Another lunatic gone!
he could have fallen and hurted someone or worse yet he could have made asher yotzef on someone farshteit
I can’t understand why people don’t want the Police to have tasers. They are trusted with deadly guns, but cannot be taught about tasers????
It would seem their mistake was not shooting him with bullets. As mentioned earlier, the cops that shot Gideon Bush were found to have acted correctly. It seems that according to NYPD “procedure” using live bullets is OK, using Taser needs special guidelines.
The low life scum bag cops are guilty which moron taesers a edp guy when he is on top of store gate and is out side naked and he was not harm to anyone the cops have no clue on dealing with mental cases those who know about edp cases they are harmfull to them selves usaly and not to others the scum bag cops should of backed of and called the fire dpt or request for blown up pouch or something and have a normal and safe way to get the guy down which is called sometimes verbal communication and oither teqniqs thease cops should be charged with murder they constantly take the law in their own hands because they think they can do what they wantbecause they have guns and badges the book should be thrown at them the nypd must have special training on dealing with thease situations
Mark Levin i cant believe they let sick people like you walk the streets free, your ideas are similar to nazi propaganda.
Did you not notice he is a human (yeah not frum jewish but believe it or not he still is human), sadly disturbed and in need of help??
What if the police just backed away, and let the disturbed man tire himself out? Meanwhile the Emergency Services Dept. could have put down a cushion. When he exhausted himself, a police officer could have offered a few gentle words and some food, and he would have come down.
Instead, the police gave him the Eleanor Bumpers and Gideon Busch treatment.
To all of you who claim to be Torah Jews: a person like this is sent from G-d to test us and see what kind of people we truly are. It is very easy to be kind to normal healthy people. But to show care and concern for an emotionally disturbed and physically vulnerable person is where we get a chance to show how we practice G-dliness. Some of the other writers here should be ashamed of their comments.
I just hope you and your loved ones never find yourselves emotionally overwrought and at the mercy of the police.