According to the Officer, Mr. Turner appeared to be in a highly agitated state. He refused all verbal commands and advanced towards the officer. The officer deployed his taser to get Mr. Turner under control.
Consistent with CMPD policy, when a Taser is deployed, the Charlotte Fire Department and MEDIC are called to the scene. They noticed Mr. Turner had become unresponsive and transported him to CMC University where he was pronounced deceased. As with any death investigation, the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death in this case.
As is standard procedure with an in-custody death, Homicide detectives are conducting the investigation and will present the results to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney. CMPD Internal Affairs is conducting a separate, parallel internal investigation. A Review Board, made up the officer's chain of command, Internal Affairs and an outside civilian participant from the Community Relations Committee, will review all available evidence and interview appropriate witnesses to determine whether all departmental policies were followed.
CMPD has used Conducted Energy Weapons (in this case, Tasers) since 2004 and have not had any deaths associated with its use. Last year, officers used Tasers 138 times. Officers use them to prevent, whenever possible, the escalation to the use of deadly force.
- Read Study: Tasers Safe for Police to Use