Taser is notoriously defensive about any claims that its supposedly “non-lethal” devices have ever caused anyone to die. Yet, there is a ton of evidence concerning people who have died after being tazed. There are even cases where the company has had courts overrule medical examiners forcing them to change the “cause of death.” Now, as Karl Bode points out, an appeals court has ruled that using a Taser can constitute excessive force. The ruling doesn’t say that Tasers are automatically excessive force, but suggests that the overall circumstances behind the use need to be taken into consideration, and if the victim is not acting in a threatening way, use of a Taser may be inappropriate and excessive.
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