Tallahassee Police Taser Black Man to Death - Eyewitnesses say Officers Used Excessive Force
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Can anybody show me where the penalty for resisting arrest is DEATH? [MORE]
From [HERE]and [HERE] Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Kevin Darius Campbell — the man who died after police officers used a Taser to subdue him — did not suffer significant internal or external trauma that would explain his death, according to the Tallahassee Police Department. The officers involved with the incident were placed on administrative leave as a part of the department's policy.
Police say Campbell was arrested in an apartment that wasn’t his. Earlier, a caller reported to police that a bald Black man was running up and down steps, in and out of his apartment and then into a woman’s apartment at 2315 Jackson Bluff Road. Officers say they used a Taser during the struggle to take him into custody. Campbell was put in a police car, where officers say he became violent and was later removed. That’s when police say they called paramedics and he became unresponsive.
Some residents who witnessed the incident at the Hickory Hill apartments say officers used excessive force against Campbell after he was arrested.
"The most brutal part to me was the seeing them pull him out of the car by his leg and then letting his head hit the ground," said Lashae Short. "That was the most brutal thing I've seen, the hardest thing I've seen and to see a police officer was hard."
Some neighbors say they are rattled over the way they say officers treated the man and are now hesitant to call police. (Internal Affairs Department at 891-4321) [MORE]
"All the witnesses there were stating it didn't have to happen like this," Steward said. "That's all they kept saying, they didn't have to do them like that."
Campbell showed signs of distress, and Leon County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched about 10:34 p.m., Jones said. About 10 minutes later, EMS arrived and almost immediately transported Campbell to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Jones added that several investigators, forensic specialists and TPD Internal Affairs officers returned to the apartment complex to follow up on the incident, primarily speaking to additional witnesses. Toxicology reports will be made available later, Jones said.
Robert Gayle, owner of Clippers Barbershop where Campbell worked, remembered Campbell as "a good guy," with five children and family in Valdosta, Ga.
"His aura and his spirit was always positive," said Gayle, as patrons placed money in a jar with "RIP Sizzle," Campbell's nickname, on the front. "He had a smile every day. He never had a negative vibe to him."
Dedrick Steward, who worked next to Campbell at the shop, said he got a call Monday night about Campbell and got to the apartment complex just as the ambulance was pulling away.
Steward said it really hit him Tuesday night and Wednesday morning that Campbell was gone, and he wished things had turned out differently.
According to Amnesty International, more than 300 people in the United States have died after being shocked by police Tasers since 2001.
After Jones spoke at the news conference, two officers with TPD's training unit explained that the Taser officers used was in full compliance with statutes.
Under Florida statute, law-enforcement officers are permitted to use a Taser or stun gun when a person who is the subject of the arrest or custody escalates his or her resistance to the officer from "passive physical resistance to active physical resistance." In addition, a Taser is allowed when a person arrested attempts to escape or has the apparent ability to physically threaten the officer or others.
