Black Man was Helpless after the 1st Taser Shot: Jury Finds White Charlotte-Mecklenburg Cop Liable in Wrongful Death Suit [cop still has job]

From [HERE] A federal jury decided on Thursday that a white Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer used excessive force in the 2011 death of a Black man who died after being twice shocked by the officer’s Taser.

After a day and a half of deliberations, the jury awarded the parents of La-Reko Williams $500,000. Williams died July 20, 2011, after being shocked twice by CMPD Officer Michael Forbes. The five women and three men on the panel voted not to award punitive damages.

However, the award marked the third time this year that the city or police either paid to settle a weapons case or lost in court. Another CMPD officer faces criminal and civil charges from the fatal shooting of Jonathan Ferrell a year ago. The jury’s award against Forbes will be paid by the city.

Williams’ parents, Temako McCarthy and Anthony Williams, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Forbes, asking for $3.5 million in damages. The lawsuit accused the officer of causing the death of the 21-year-old Williams three years ago when Forbes responded to a call about a fight at a light-rail station.

The complaint originally named the city, police Chief Rodney Monroe and Taser International Inc. as other targets. But they were either dropped by the plaintiffs or granted immunity by U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn before the trial.

The fatal standoff between Forbes and Williams three years ago lasted little more than a minute. The officer answered a 911 call that night at the Woodlawn light-rail station in Charlotte about a fight between a man and a woman. Testimony in the week-long trial identified the couple as Williams and Destiny Franklin, his girlfriend at the time.

The judge gave Forbes immunity for the first shot from his Taser, which Forbes says took place after Williams tried to leave the scene, ignored the officer’s orders and shoved him twice.

The attorneys for Williams’ parents say their son was nearly helpless from the first Taser shock when Forbes fired the second. Williams’ heart stopped beating soon afterward.

Forbes testified that he fired the second shock because he felt threatened by Williams, who the officer claimed ignored his orders, shoved him twice and was trying to get to his feet after the first shock.

The officer, who wore his uniform to court each day, was not charged with a crime and remains on the force.

During the trial, both sides went to great lengths to frame the pivotal second shock for the jury.

On Monday, Forbes teamed with an assistant city attorney to re-create his struggle with Williams. Later, a family attorney cross-examined the police officer for a few minutes while sitting on the floor of the courtroom, mimicking Williams’ position at the time of the second shock.

Williams died the day after a jury awarded a $10 million judgment in a fatal use of a Taser by police on a Charlotte teenager in 2009. On appeal, the amount was first reduced then set aside.

Nationwide, more than 550 people have died after being shocked with a Taser. The weapons are designed to be nonlethal alternatives to guns, intended to incapacitate suspects without seriously injuring them. Taser International says the device has saved thousands of lives.

A 2012 study found that the electric barbs can set off irregular heart rhythms, leading to cardiac arrest.

After Williams’ death, Monroe pulled the police department’s entire Taser arsenal off the street. Later that year, the City Council spent almost $2 million acquiring safer models, and CMPD officers were told to aim their Tasers below the chest.