Brooklyn Man Fatally Tasered on Long Island

Just as the NYPD announced that it would distribute more Tasers as a non-lethal alternative to firearms, a Brooklyn man was killed by a Long Island police officer when he was Tasered. Suffolk County police said that the 26-year-old Tony Bradway died after being shocked twice by an officer's Taser, as the deceased was attempting to swallow a bag of cocaine.

According to the police, the Southampton police were at a house for another matter when "they spotted a plastic bag with white powder." When he tried to swallow the bag, Bradway was Tasered and went into cardiac arrest. The ME will conduct an autopsy, but police think he died from the drugs, not the Taser.

Still, the timing of this death comes on the heels of the a long-awaited RAND Corp. study that studied NYPD shootings. One of its suggestions spurred an initiative to immediately equip more cops with Tasers, and possibly make them a universal "non-lethal" weapon to all police on the street. Elsewhere, a verdict says the Taser company is financially responsible to the tune of $6 million for a man's death--the Salinas, CA police Tasered a drug user whose heart gave out.

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By Dave Hogarty in News on June 11, 2008 10:04 AM

Comments [rss]

jpeditor

"When he tried to swallow the bag, Bradway was Tasered and went into cardiac arrest. The ME will conduct an autopsy, but police think he died from the drugs, not the Taser."

Wow, where's CSI when you need them? HE CHOKED / OD'd swallowing a bag of COCAINE. sounds like Darwin award winner.

"Still, the timing of this death comes on the heels Rev Sharpnot threatening to riot during the all star game at Yankee Stadium... I think the justice brothers set this up so they can shake down stein brenner...

The Edge

#17- Ask all the people who've never been mugged who demand that criminals shouldn't "accidentally" bump their heads or what-not.

marchendrix

Police need to man up. This taser stuff is going to get out of hand. What happened to hitting someone in the chest with a baton? Magically, people tend to chill out after you go upside their head once.

anarekey

Cocaine disrupts electrical signals to and from the heart and can cause an irregular heartbeat. Add electricity from a taser into the mix and you run the risk of a fatal arrythmia. So was it the drugs or the taser? If I'm the cops I'm gonna go with drugs, but its probably a combination of the two.

sonyactivision

Acceptable losses.

The Edge

Hey, when the cops tell you to STOP, you STOP. You'd think that by now that'd be ingrained in these criminals blood by now.

"..If the cops have to chase you, you can be sure they're bringing an ass whupping with them."

Spirit of 76

I would guess that it wasn't the cocaine per se, but rather than when he was tasered, he involuntarily sucked the bag into his trachea and choked on it. But that's just a wild guess.

JacqueMehoff

taser intl is a shady company. have cops go back to the old .38 police special. I know a few cops who still have the little snubby as their off duty and they wear it with pride. of course, they're going to retire in a year or two. if not retired already.

MFer

Taser is unmanly. I want the police to use a weapon that is sure to kill. I want real consequences to actions taken. Taser will just lead to a surge of--if less deadly--police abuse.

PBRK

The wide distribution of tasers will open up the NYPD to innumerable excessive force lawsuits. Such as in this case electrocuting someone is clearly not what you do in a choking hazard situation.

entropone

the problem with Tasers is that they're billed as "safer than guns," but police officers use them for compliance, rather than in situations than they'd use guns.

there are incidents of police officers using tasers on elderly people and children as young as 5 or 6 - under the logic that the child "was a threat to himself."

Taser International has a long history of fighting to make sure that Tasers are not listed as the cause of death - despite the number of times that people have died from being Tasered.

It's really unfortunate that police departments are relying on technology and new forms of weaponry instead of good training and good officers.

theloofyourlife

very interesting story to come out a few days after this pro-taser report came out.

..it sounds like the cardiac arrest came from the taser not the drugs.

and i definitely said yesterday that tasers would be better as long as people w/ heart conditions listened to the police.

woops..

if the "tasees" knew what being tased was like.. they wouldn't be to taser happer..

i'm starting to agree with everyone that abuse will run rampant with the tasers..like with those college cops that tased their own students..

colleen1983

They were tasering him because he was swallowing a bag? I would assume police are only supposed to use force like that when they or others are in danger.

PBRK

The non-lethal moniker it slowly being phased out. These are now compliance weapons. Hopefully this will put in people's minds that these are still weapons and not a first response tool.

ny2102

I think it's a stretch to say Tasers aren't *any* safer, but obviously they still have an associated risk and are probably more likely to be abused.

abcohen

huh??? so he was fine... then just when he got tasered he had a heart attack from the drugs (I dont but it... I think it was the taser!!!) but hey... whats 1.21 jiggawatts between friends...

JRod5417

Just yesterday someone commented that tasers were no safer than guns since they could cause heart attacks. Guess this story is Exhibit A in favor of that argument.