Grand jury didn't want to view Taser videotape (Williams case)

[struggle4progress]

By LATEEF MUNGIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/04/05

<snip> But a grand jury that last month decided not to investigate the incident was not shown the videotape of the May 25 altercation in the Gwinnett County jail. The grand jury based its decision entirely on portions of an 11-month police investigation of the death and a written description of the stun gun shocking of Williams. <snip>

Porter, who plays a major role in determining what evidence a grand jury receives, did not insist that jurors view the tape. That fact has angered Williams' family members, some of whom have seen the tape. <snip>

"The grand jury has the power to subpoena witnesses or documents," Cook said. "If the district attorney does not present a certain piece of evidence, they can ask to see it."

If grand jurors had seen the tape, they would have witnessed Williams pleading for his life before being carried into the jail by 11 deputies. Williams, whose arms and legs were handcuffed, was shocked with the Taser in the chest five times within a minute. Within five minutes, he lost consciousness. <snip>

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/0505/04taser.html

[Nothing Without Hope]

1. Horrible. No wonder they kept the tape away from the jurors.

I'll bet they would have wanted to destroy all copies of it. There is no justification for this, and I hope these torturers and killers are hung out to dry for it.

[saigon68]

2. They will walk

Nothing to see-- Move along </Extreme sarcasm>

[LiberalFighter]

3. Grand Juries should be banned... just a waste of taxpayer monies

If the prosecutor can't determine if they have a case without using a grand jury then they shouldn't be prosecutors.

[FreedomAngel82]

4. How horrible

and disgusting. :\ These things are horrible and I hate them. People are abusing them and their power to have them.

[dxdem]

5. All of this,

with another Taser death just the other day? It's becoming painfully obvious that the Taser is a dangerous weapon, and it's "non-lethal" or "less-than-lethal" reputation is encouraging it's use by officers, resulting in the deaths of citizens. Take these damn things off the market...

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. They may not have intended to kill him, but they DID intend to TORTURE

him. In the hands of these monsters, the taser is an instrument of torture, and as recent reports have made very clear, death.

They can say the death was accidental - though they should be liable because he clearly was showing symptoms of dangerous physical distress, which they ignored. But there is no way, with that tape, that they can say they didn't intend to torture him. What's the ACLU doing? They and other organizations should be all over this.

[mmonk]

7. Anyone keeping up with the numbers in these

abuse of tasers situations around the country? Too much excessive force being allowed.

[Algomas]

8. I heard that it is 103 in the US and Canada so far.

[mmonk]

9. Seems to me this is a weapon

and should therefore be treated accordingly and only used when other means are exhausted. I wonder why people think of it as no big deal?