Family's lawsuit claims excessive force used by Amarillo Police: Shot & Tasered

The parents of a 33-year-old man who died after Amarillo police shot him twice and shocked him multiple times with a Taser in 2003 filed a federal civil lawsuit Monday, alleging officers' excessive force contributed to their son's death. The wrongful-death suit, filed in Amarillo's U.S. District Court, names the city of Amarillo, Taser International Inc., Amarillo Police Sgt. Phil Dean and five unknown police officers as defendants in the case. The suit, filed by the parents of Corey Calvin Clark, focuses on the April 16, 2003, case that led to Clark's death. According to police reports, the confrontation between Clark and Amarillo police, who wanted to arrest Clark in connection with a string of car thefts, began when officers cornered Clark's van in an alley in the Bivins neighborhood after he led police on a car chase. When officers ordered Clark out of his car, he refused and appeared to be reaching behind the seat for a weapon, police reports stated. The final autopsy report into Clark's death said the weapon was a knife. Dean then shot at Clark, who suffered two gunshot wounds, because he feared for his life, according to Globe-News reports. Police also activated a Taser against Clark multiple times during their attempt to place him into custody, the autopsy report said. Clark was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital, where he later died. According to the autopsy report, Clark died of "acute cocaine intoxication due to chronic cocaine abuse." The civil lawsuit alleges officers' actions in the incident were excessive, unlawfully violent and deprived Clark of his life and liberty, violating his Fourth Amendment rights. "I cannot understand why (police) shot a person twice, and then practiced their Tasers on them," said attorney John Mann, who is representing Clark's parents.[more]