Hearing Impaired Man Tased by Police

Hearing Impaired Man Tased by Police (http://www.kwch.com/global/story.asp?s=7446220)

Donnell Williams had just gotten out of the bath tub, wearing only a towel around his waist, when he turned the corner to see guns pointing right at him.

"I ain't never been so scared," says Williams.

Police forced entry into Williams home while responding to a shooting, but it turned out to be a false call. They had no idea at the time the call wasn't real and that Williams is hearing impaired. Without his hearing aid he is basically deaf.

"I kept going to my ear yelling that I was scared. I can't hear! I can't hear!"

Officers were worried about their own safety because at the time it appeared Williams was refusing to obey their commands to show his hands. That's when they shot him with a Taser.

Deputy Chief Robert Lee says, "This one occurred on the worst of calls, that being a shooting. The first few minutes getting control of the scene are very, very important."

Once the facts were all sorted out, officers repeatedly apologized to Williams. Police wish it never happened, but with the information they had at the time, their choices were limited.

"Do I wish there would have been some way they were notified in advance this gentleman was hearing impaired? I certainly do. No one is happy with the way it worked out," says Lee.

Williams was not hurt in the incident. Police say the shooting call came from a cell phone but they still don't know who made it or why.

The case is being reviewed by the department.

Yet again, once the media gets ahold of this one, its going to be blown out of proportion. It sucks for the deaf guy, but they didn't do anything wrong.

i dont know if i agree with you Zero.. granted yes there was a call made, yes the police have to diffuse the situation.. But, could there have been another way around this.. neither of us were there to see everything that lead up to the event. so neither of us have all the facts..

i agree tho that taser calls are now becoming all to popular as a common place instead of guns, but had they not had the tasers would they have shot him? i dont know about you but i think the tasers are becoming a scapegoat just like pepper-spray has in the past..

cops have been abusing these tazers lots lately....and btw that shit hurts like a mofo

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=police+abusing+tazer&btnG=Google+Search

Compared to the other methods they would have had to use (batton where still legal, pepper spray, using hardhanded takedown techniques, or shooting him), the taser is the safest. Besides, if you get a call and was told someone had been shot, and you get there and the only guy there starts yelling about how he can't hear, you're going to think he's crazy, or is trying to trick you. If your life is on the line every day, you tend to grow cautious, and tasing him made sure he couldn't grab a weapon or anything. I'd ahve done the same, yes it sucks, but its far better than having a dead cop, instead.

I dunno, but if I had just gotten out of the bath, turned a corner and saw gun barrels (with badges behind them) facing me, my gut instinct would be to put my hands behind my head and kneel. You can explain later why you didn't hear them. On the other hand, if I saw gun barrels and NO badges, my instinct would be to jump the F*ck back in the bathroom, lock the door and try the window (if there is one).

I thought tasers were supposed to be used in place of guns as a non-lethal alternative. Not when someone isn't complying with an order. Besides that, what kind of threat is a dripping wet guy in nothing but a towel yelling "I'm scared I can't hear you, my ears!"??

Yeah, I agree Faux, But (once again) to play Devil's Advocate... The police were responding to a homicide (which turned out to be false later). If I was a cop looking to pick up a probable killer, I'd be on edge too. On the other hand, yeah... the guy was nekkid in a towel and no threat other than not following orders. I think the cops are a bit too ready to use tasers thinking that they are "less-than-lethal". The press tasers are getting is bad though. I'm not sure the cops were justified in taser use in this event, but it beats getting shot. Once again, if the cops had half a brain they could've diffused the situation; but there are too many dinosaur cops out there...

Yeah, I agree Faux, But (once again) to play Devil's Advocate... The police were responding to a homicide (which turned out to be false later). If I was a cop looking to pick up a probable killer, I'd be on edge too. On the other hand, yeah... the guy was nekkid in a towel and no threat other than not following orders. I think the cops are a bit too ready to use tasers thinking that they are "less-than-lethal". The press tasers are getting is bad though. I'm not sure the cops were justified in taser use in this event, but it beats getting shot. Once again, if the cops had half a brain they could've diffused the situation; but there are too many dinosaur cops out there...

Yes it definitely beats getting shot! You gotta wonder though, all it takes is an anonymous tip from a cell phone to get cops to bust down someone's door and tase them?

Anyway... apparently for these cops using a taser is OK for non-compliance: http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1024668

i was tazed for just kicking a cops ass with one good punch.I didnt have a weapons,whats so life threatning about that?

Well, like I said... dinosaur cops. Too much braun (and weapons) too little brains.

i was tazed for just kicking a cops ass with one good punch.I didnt have a weapons,whats so life threatning about that?

You punched a cop, how did they know you were going to stop? Besides, you're lucky you only got tased. Some cops from my Criminal Justice classes have shot people (based in Detroit and surrounding suburbs, so everyone is a murder suspect) for that. Frankly, if it was me, I would have tased you, and probaby then beat you a bit back at the station where there weren't cameras.

judging by what I read i would say the cop over-reacted (mind you this is only from what i read here) as MH said, in a bath towel yelling i cant hear (yes to err is human everyone does) however just because it was a mistake doesnt make it "Ok"..

take it for what its worth, my opinion mind ya... i think some situations can be diffused.. however like other videos.. of people getting tazered w/in 12 seconds of being asked for there insurance and registration cards i think some officers are jumpiong the gun here.. thas all i say.. Not ALL cops are bad, just some jump to conclusions/assumptions faster then others...

mawk was a cop now theres a fine example of a bad cop if i ever saw one :nutkick:

anyways...i just browsed through this page and thanked those who made comments which i didnt read.

so....don't taze me brooooooooo....