Injured, tasered teen: ‘At least I’m alive.’ David Edwards and Diane Sweet Raw Story Friday, Aug 1, 2008
(why tazers need to be banned) http://www.prisonplanet.com/injured-tasered-teen-at-least-im-alive.html After spending his 17th birthday in a hospital bed with a broken back and foot, Mace Hutchinson is home from the hospital recovering from his harrowing experience. Discovered underneath an overpass by Ozark police after a 30 foot fall, Mace was then tasered 19 times by authorities who said it was necessary for Mace’s safety, and that of the officers who allegedly felt threatened by statements they claim Mace made after the fall. Sara Sheffield, of KY3 News, the reporter who originally covered Mace’s story went to his home to follow up on his progress: “There’s no way that they had to Tase me that many times,” he said. Mace spent his 17th birthday lying in a hospital bed. “I had a broken back, broken foot.” Nearly two weeks later, he’s out of the hospital but still lying in bed, hardly able to move. “It should be a couple months before I’m able to walk on my own.” His family says what made his situation worse is that his surgery had to be postponed because he had been stunned by Ozark police 19 times. “At least I’m alive though.” Mace says he still can’t remember how he ended up at the bottom of the bridge. He says he knows he didn’t willingly jump. “I know I’m lucky to survive that far of a fall.” Police records say Hutchinson was aggressive with them, and tried to get up and get into traffic. Mace points out that he doesn’t weigh much and wonders why an officer didn’t just restrain him. Police also say he yelled threatening remarks about harming officers. Those things combined were why they used the electric stun gun on him. “He was saying things like, ‘Kill cops, shoot cops,’ Ozark Police Capt. Thomas Rousset said on July 23. Mace says he doesn’t remember that and certainly doesn’t know how it would have been possible, with his injuries, for him to move toward the highway. “There’s no way I could stand up. I had a broken back and a broken foot,” he said. “I definitely want them to get punished, I don’t want them to get away with it.” The Ozark Police Department did not return any calls inquiring on the progress of the internal probe of the incident that Police Captain Thomas Rousset told KY3 News, had begun ******************************* * POST TO [EMAIL PROTECTED] * ******************************* Medianews mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
