Death after Taser incident probed

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2004 | 11:05 a.m.

The Clark County coroner's office is expected to launch an inquest into the death of a man who died in August after a struggle with Metro Police officers, the coroner said this morning.

Keith Tucker, 47, died after officers called to his home used their batons and 50,000-volt Taser guns to subdue him. Tucker, who was allegedly behaving in a violent and erratic manner, died about an hour later.

Investigators have since ruled Tucker's death a homicide, Coroner Michael Murphy said. The coroner's office deems all deaths at the hands of another person homicides, regardless of intent, he added.

The office routinely calls an inquest for all deaths after a struggle with police officers, Murphy said.

"There is a need to have the public review that," he said.

Sheriff Bill Young and Undersheriff Doug Gillespie were unavailable for comment this morning.

Investigators have determined the cause of Tucker's death and were expected to release it later today, Murphy said.

Between eight and 12 such cases are investigated each year.

The inquest is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 22.

Two Metro officers, 31-year-old Patrick Denny and 26-year-old Mark Hutchinson, were placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the coroner's inquest.