The death of an unarmed Thetford man last June has prompted
a state-wide discussion about the use of Tasers in Vermont and a new bill in front of the legislature.
A
group of Vermont lawmakers and the heads of disability and
civil rights groups are pushing legislation that would create new rules
governing police use of electronic stun guns.
Attorney General Bill Sorrell
will not file criminal charges against a state police officer who fired a stun
gun at an unarmed man last June. The man died from the
electric shock to his chest.
Attorney
General Bill Sorrell says no criminal charges will be filed against a trooper
involved in a fatal stun gun incident. Macadam Mason of Thetford died after Trooper David
Shaffer discharged his stun gun during an incident in June
A
Thetford woman who witnessed her longtime boyfriend die after he was struck by
a charge from a state police stun gun wants to sue state police. Police
say he had threatened to harm himself or others.
A state police officer who
fired a stun gun shot that killed a Thetford man in June has been placed on
paid administrative leave. Officials are not saying why
the action was taken, and the case remains under criminal investigation.
Vermont law enforcement officers have deployed electronic stun guns 50
times in the last 18 months. And 10 of those incidents have involved
people who are mentally ill. VPR’s John Dillon examines whether police are
following their policies when they try to subdue individuals who are in
mental health crisis.
Ten times in the past 18
months, state police fired electronic stun guns at people threatening suicide or
at others experiencing a mental health crisis. That’s according to police records
and video recordings obtained by Vermont Public Radio under the state’s open
records law.