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Las Vegas Coroner Says Police Justified in Taser Death
KLAS-TV
Fri July 8, 2005
Area: Las Vegas
A Las Vegas man died last month after being hit three times by Metro Police tasers. The Clark County Coroner's office questioned whether the taser use was justified. Late Friday afternoon a coroner's inquest jury made a decision.
Two officers used their tasers a total of three times on 47-year-old Russell Walker. In early June, Metro was called to remove Walker from the Western Hotel and Casino on Fremont Street. He was getting into fights, yelling at people and tearing up money. The officers involved believed he was a threat to himself and others.
Surveillance cameras from the Western Hotel captured the last moments of Russell Walker's life -- fighting with hotel security and Metro officers.
Sergeant Cindy Rodriguez used her taser on twice, saying he was unresponsive to verbal commands and believing Walker's behavior would further injure himself or others.
After Rodriguez hit Walker twice with her taser, he calmed down a bit. Officers tried to remove the handcuffs they placed on him, but when Walker became combative again, Officer Matthew Ruiz shocked Walker for a third time.
Every taser shock sends 50,000 volts into a person's body for five seconds.
Did the taser kill Russell Walker? A pathologist with the coroner's office testified Walker's cocaine abuse combined with a condition called "excited delirium" led to his death, not the taser hits.
The inquest jury deliberated for 30 minutes ruling Rodriguez and Ruiz were justified. On their verdict ballot, the jury indicated Russell Walker was responsible for his own death.
Why didn't the officers involved try to use other tactics in this case, such as pepper spray or their batons?
They testified it was too windy for pepper spray, afraid they would blind themselves as well as Walker.
As for batons, the officers say five Metro officers plus three private security guards made for a crowded scene. They were afraid they would hit another officer instead of Walker.
Russell Walker is the third Las Vegas man to die after being hit by Metro Police tasers.
Following Walker's death there were questions raised about it violating Metro's policy of not using tasers on handcuffed suspects. That issue never was raised in Friday's inquest.
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