5 Toledo Police Officers facing internal charges for Tasering Black Man to Death

Five Toledo police officers including a sergeant are facing administrative charges for improperly handcuffing a man who died after he was shocked nine times with a Taser. Police and Lucas County jail authorities were involved in the incidents. The police department's internal affairs bureau concluded the officers did not use excessive force in the arrest Jan. 31 of Jeffrey Turner, 41, and that the use of a Taser at the time of his arrest was justified, Chief Mike Navarre said yesterday. However, the investigation showed that in transporting Turner to the jail, he was handcuffed behind his back and those cuffs were connected to oversized cuffs that were placed on his ankles, which is contrary to department policy. Officers Michael Haynes, Douglas Lewis, Michael E. Murphy, and Brian Young were charged with violating policy on transporting prisoners. Sgt. Daniel Ray was charged with one count of supervisory accountability. They remain on duty pending disciplinary hearings March 8. Chief Navarre said video from the Toledo Museum of Art, where the arrest occurred, showed Turner kneeling with his hands cuffed behind his back, another set of cuffs on his ankles, and a third set of cuffs connecting the other two sets. The chief declined to comment on whether the way Turner was handcuffed had an impact on his death later. An autopsy was inconclusive as to the cause and manner of Turner's death. Toxicology tests and further investigation are needed.[more]

• Prisoner Dies After Being Tased Nine Times [more]

Comments

[T.S. a fellow brother in blue]

As a fellow police officer who has dealt with irrational, drug induced knuckle heads that like to fight with the police... All I have to say is what more can we do before we have to use deadly force on someone like this??? There is something definately wrong with someone that wants to challenge police and not comply with lawful orders. I myself have been tazed in training, and let me tell you...I didn't want anymore of that! So, someone that needs to be tazed 4 times by the police, and then another 5 times by Sheriff's Deputies tells me one thing. That guy is nuts or totally high on something and feeling no pain. So, all you liberal bleeding hearts...All I have to say is that NO MATTER WHAT, I AM GOING HOME AT NIGHT! I stand behind my fellow officers and have faith in them and our training. What we did in that situation was right! Just happens Mr. Turner was wrong when he decided to fight with the police and not comply with orders given to him. Just so you know...THIS IS NOT A WHITE ON BLACK ISSUE! All this is, is officers that were doing their job and happened to have to deal with a druged up knuckle head (Mr.Turner). I have fought with people like him in my years as a Public Servant, and let me tell you people, I will do what ever it takes and use whatever equipment/weapons/defense tactics as necessary to be the one on top. There is one thing that we DO NOT EVER DO... and that is LOOSE!!! One more thing for you people to consider, and when I say you people, I am talking all races and not as a racial remark. Consider this...Try thinking as a police officer does. Go into the unknown. Put yourself in our place for once doing our job not knowing what you have to respond to next. You run into this Mr.Turner that is not complying,displaying all the danger cues and also wants to fight you and other officers and nothing is working on him. What are you willing to do to go home at night to your families??? If you stop to think, that split second may be your life! In situations like that, you don't think. You go back to your training and that gets you through. Are you willing to take abuse and be assaulted or risk your gun being taken from you from a person like Mr.Turner? Are you going to let him take you away from your family? Ask yourself these questions and many more that I can come up with. We are sworn to PROTECT&SERVE. That is what we do and sometimes we also have to protect ourselves. For once, get your heads out of the Racial game and look at the facts of the Whole incident. Be it white, black, hispanic or whatever, I am standing behind my fellow brothers in blue. There is no doubt in my mind that they did the right thing in that incident given the availability of options and circumstances. And to the family of Mr.Turner, I am deeply sorry about your loss and I am sorry about his actions. I will not apologize for our actions. We did what we had to without brutilizing Mr.Turner. Let go of the anger and see the big picture. We as Law Enforcement Officers are not Killers!!! We will do everything in our power to avoid deadly force, BUT...Put in that situation,WE WILL NOT HESITATE TO DO WHAT WE HAVE TO. Like I said...We are going home at night, and WE WILL NEVER LOOSE.