Tuesday, June 29, 2004 | 11:10 a.m.
Sheriff Bill Young said Monday that he plans to order a careful examination into the incident that left a Las Vegas man dead after being stunned by a Metro Police officer's Taser gun.
A coroner's inquest jury found Officer Reggie Rader's actions to be excusable in connection with the February death of 26-year-old William Lomax, the second person in the United States whose death was partially blamed on being jolted with a Taser.
Lomax died Feb. 21, about 20 hours after Officer Reggie Rader shocked him seven times.
A medical examiner testified at a coroner's inquest Friday that Lomax suffered a cardiac arrest while being restrained, and that the Taser is considered a restraint device.
PCP intoxication and the fact that Lomax was in the early stages of pneumonia both played roles in his death.
"We will have the training bureau go over this and dissect it and do a mortality review of this to see if there was any way we could have done our training better," Young said.
Even without the Taser, Lomax still could have died, given the other variables, Young said.
"I believe it might have more to do with (Lomax's) drug use than the Taser, but certainly I'm going to look at this from a training standpoint," he said.
Young said there are no plans to curtail the use of Tasers based on the findings, however.
Gary Peck, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, commended Metro last year when the department announced that they planned to begin equipping its officers with Tasers, which were thought to lead to fewer officer-involved deaths.
But he criticized the department Monday for sending messages he calls inconsistent and incoherent.
"Now they're saying it's OK to Tase a guy who is handcuffed and on the ground," Peck said. "The department has to get its message straight. Should they (Tasers) be used sparingly as an alternative to deadly force or is it simply another weapon in their toolbox to make their jobs easier?"
When used properly, Tasers can reduce deaths, Peck pointed out, but the department "seems not to be adequately sensitive to the fact that these are potent weapons that can cause serious injury and may even contribute to death."
Lomax, who was five feet seven inches and 233 pounds, appeared to be overdosing on drugs when security guards at the Emerald Breeze apartment complex in the 900 block of West Monroe Avenue spotted him in the parking lot Feb. 20.
Rader arrived on an unrelated call and said Lomax started pushing his way through the guards in an attempt to get away. The guards tried restraining him for his own protection and the protection of the residents of the apartment complex, they said.
As Lomax struggled with the guards, Rader warned him that if he didn't calm down he would use his Taser.
He zapped Lomax seven times over the course of nearly 10 minutes, with each shock lasting two to eight seconds.
Rader used the Taser on Lomax three times while guards put handcuffs on him, then four more times as he lay on his stomach they removed the cuffs and put him in soft restraints in preparation for the ride to Valley Hospital.
After each electrical shock, Lomax continued kicking and thrashing, even while on his stomach, Rader testified at Friday's inquest.
Lomax stopped breathing and paramedics revived him on the way to the hospital. He died 19 1/2 hours later.
Rick Smith, chief operating officer of the Arizona-based Taser International, said it's unusual for a Taser to be cited as a possible cause of death.
"We are somewhat surprised that the medical examiner would say it was a contributing factor," Smith said. "We make this device to save lives but unfortunately we can't save everyone."
Lomax is second person whose death was partially blamed on Taser use, he said.
"In the global context," Smith said, "the safety record is pretty outstanding." Twenty-five percent of all police agencies nationally use Tasers, he added.
The first person to die was James Borden, a 47-year-old Bedford, Ind. man. He was shocked six times with a Taser while handcuffed as he was being booked into jail on Nov. 6, 2003. He died a short time later in the booking area.
Borden's death was blamed on an enlarged heart, drug intoxication and electric shock. Smith said he is getting second opinions as to the cause of death.
The jailer was charged last month with felony battery in connection with the incident.
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