BROOKLYN (AP) – Citizens have strongly condemned the actions of two police officers who tasered a distraught, naked Brooklyn man, Inman Morales, last week while he stood on the ledge of a building, causing him to fall more than 10 feet to his death.
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.
The day after the death of Morales, 35, who was standing naked on a ledge outside his mother’s apartment and had a history of mental illness, crowds of Brooklynites protesting his death gathered under the ledge where he was tasered.
“At a time when the NYPD is considering arming patrol officers with Tasers, this incident illustrates the dangers they pose and highlights the need for both clear policies and extensive training on the use of these potentially deadly weapons,” said New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman in a press release.
“Clearly, firing a Taser at someone is a poor substitute for strong police negotiating skills and common sense,” the statement continued.
“While there may be instances where Tasers are effective and appropriate law enforcement tools, they require the same degree of scrutiny and supervision as handguns.”
Witnesses and neighbors said Morales had become distraught and threatened to kill himself Wednesday. His mother called 911. When police arrived mid-afternoon, he fled naked out the window of his third-floor apartment to the fire escape. He 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.
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Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
