Citation

Kornblum RN, Reddy SK. J. Forensic Sci. 1991; 36(2): 434-438.

Affiliation

Department of the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner, Los Angeles, CA.

Comment In:

J Forensic Sci 1992;37(4):956-8

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1843180

Abstract

Sixteen deaths associated with the use of the Taser were examined. All involved young males who had a history of abuse of controlled substances; all but three were under the influence of cocaine, phencyclidine phenylcyclohexylpiperidine (PCP)., or amphetamine. All were behaving in a bizarre or unusual fashion which necessitated calling the police. The cause of death was an overdose of drugs in eleven, gunshot wounds in three, heart disease and Taser shock in one, and an undetermined cause in one. All were considered to be under the influence of PCP by the police at the time of the incident. All were unarmed, which was the reason a Taser was used instead of a more lethal weapon. The conclusion reached after evaluation of these cases is that the Taser in and of itself does not cause death, although it may have contributed to death in one case.

Language: en