According to the WRC4-TV of Washington DC news report, the Frederick County's Sheriff Department taserized Jarrel Gray, 20 years old African American guy, who was deaf in one ear and died at the Frederick Memorial Hosptial. Gray was taserized which the sheriff deputies tried to break off the fight around 5am in Frederick area.
More info could be found at this WRC-4 website, www.nbc4.com or type WRC4 and DC or Jarrel Gray on any search engine.
No questions about Ridor aka Ricky Taylor of the "RidorLive" will be infuriated about the latest police brutality. Ridor eventually will say "Told You So!" on his blog.
Unfortunately about someone deaf lost his life to the senseless and illogical action by the law enforcement officers. Please send sympathy and support to Jarrel Gray's mother. who evidently is very outraged about this whole incident.
ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason
RLMDEAF blog
Monday, November 19, 2007
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Go Go Support Jarrel Gray...Stupid Law Enforcement!!! Lousy!!! Shame on Sheriff!!! NO excuse for lazy police who has weapons simply..gun, baton, tasers, handcuffs, and radio twinkles while Jarrel Gray was unarmed!!! They took advantages of him. Stop them...Look at the parade in Washington, DC protesting "Stop Hate Crime". Link is http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071119/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/hate_crimes;_ylt=AnYqJK5HRg1cL.1gpfkeJiNI2ocA
ReplyDeleteThat is the impressing one.
Is someone who is deaf only in one ear really deaf?
ReplyDeleteThat's what the WRC-4 TV of Washington, DC news report mentioned "Hearing impaired ..." in their webcast.
ReplyDeleteFrom the video interview with Gray's emotionally-wrecked mother on the newscast. She said "I could not understand why the police were doing to my son. He is deaf in one ear".
I assume that Jarrel Gray is not really a culturally deaf himself or not know any ASL, etc.
Let's see and wait to find more about who and what Jarrell Gray is all about. Okay?
RLM
Californian,
ReplyDeleteGood idea about having the march to protest about the growing threat to people in general being unnecessary taserized by the law enforcement officers.
The Amensty International recently reported that more than 150 Americans died from the use of taser gun since 2001.
The recent taser incident somewhere in the U.S., the middle-aged guy suddenly died from the taser gun at the airport. The authorities and other people screened the survilleance video and questioned why the TSA officers used the taser gun on non-aggressive guy.
The victim had done nothing like displaying any kind of aggression or violent behavior.
The law enforcement officers seems think that is much easier to taser people first before questioning or dealing with anyone.
I hope that the Gray case will force the police officers everywhere and take a step back and let the nature taking course than just taserizing someone.
RLM
He is not functionally deaf. I know some people who are deaf in one ear and they are able to hear fine with the other ear, functionally pretty much like hearing people
ReplyDeleteTheres a new one coming out to replace the taser. It's not only the deafies being killed via tasers. And the cops like the new one called "MRGMPC" which makes them catch them like spiderman.
ReplyDeleteNotice that this incident happened at 5 a.m.? I often notice so many bad-news items occur when people should be home asleep. I wish people would just stay home and go to bed and then maybe they could look forward to a long life instead of having their lives end in tragedy like this.
ReplyDeleteThe loss of Jarrel Gary, I could like to find out more information about it. If it is because he can't hear IS NOT accpetable to use taser. If this is so-so, I am going do something about it.
ReplyDeleteOnce he has hearing-loss, he is DEAF period.
I think tasering anyone is dangerous! Police officer in my town told me that every officer has to experience being tasered in order to use it so they know what it feels like. Problem with taser is if you're not careful, you can taser a person more than once and that can be very dangerous. Once is enough but NONE is better! There are countless people killed from tasers.
ReplyDeleteTar said: "Once he has hearing-loss, he is DEAF period."
ReplyDeleteWhat an absurd thing to say. A person with a hearing loss is not automatically deaf, any more than a person who wears glasses is automatically blind.
I agree with Tar.
ReplyDeleteJust Me Said, Anyomous, Debbie Ann, Tar and OCDAC,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your comments! I truly appreciate them very much. I am in total agreement with all of you no matter how much deaf we are.
The law enforcement officers ought to be very responsive to any one's limitation than just taserizing someone and ask questions later.
Well, we do not know the full story why Jarrel Gray went outside around 5am. He probably was on his way to work. Who knows?
MZ, many thanks for letting me know that Jarrel Gray is not really functionally deaf. Thanks again.
RLM
FYI,
ReplyDeleteRemeber all things. Police in USA that they would not learn about Deafness..
the person died. I hope their parents can use ALCU about Taser. They can file complaint ALCU for no reason to taser him for what.
Jarrel Gray's famil can lawsuit for the situation Police did not know much about deaf or hard of hearing.
Prayer for the Gray's family should lawsuit for ACLU.
Deaf Pixie
His blood alcohol level was found to be higher than the legal limit to be driving, so it seems unlikely that he was as someone else previously suggested, heading out to work and was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also bear in mind that he was not in his own apt. complex, but involved in a fight at a nearby complex, which is why the deputy was called out there at all. SO DEFINITELY he was not just heading to work. I sympathize with the grieving family, but the boy heard enough to show disdain to the officer by turning his back on the deputy and then doing the exact opposite of what he'd been asked to do, as he then turned back towards the deputy with his hands IN his pocket! How could the deputy know what was going to come out of those pockets and in the boy's hand? A knife? A gun? the deputy was defending himself
ReplyDeleteHey All! Just FYI on this...Frederick, MD is where the Maryland School for the Deaf is located. The deaf community is deeply respected here. This particular young man was in trouble constantly. You can look him up here: http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquiry-index.jsp
ReplyDeleteHe had assaulted police officers, kicked them, spit on and cursed at police officers during multiple previous arrests. He was considered confrontational and resisted arrest in the past. This was no innocent deaf man goofing around, underage-drunk-and causing enough alarm that reports show 4 residents of the apartment community called 911. He could hear well enough. Note also none of the other young underage teens who were fighting and drinking with this fellow were arrested or tazed. According to news reports he also had a very different physical make up. I can't remember it all but his internal organs were in a different position than normal. I am against tazing altogether but in this particular case there was a history and good grounds for officers to be self protective. In fact, it has since come out that the officer that tazed him had arrested him before and took him home and had a long talk with him and his parents about changing his ways and finding new friends. It is going to be interesting for sure.
Police report reveals details of Taser death
ReplyDeleteOriginally published June 14, 2008
By Sarah Fortney
News-Post Staff
Police report reveals details of Taser death
Photo by Courtesy Photo
Gray
City Cab
A criminal investigation report into the death of a 20-year-old man reveals details of the morning Jarrel Gray died within hours of receiving two shocks from a Frederick County Sheriff's Office deputy's Taser.
The sheriff's office requested the Frederick Police Department conduct the investigation, which closed May 14. The Frederick News-Post obtained the report Thursday.
On Nov. 18, 2007, sheriff's office Cpl. Rudy Torres responded to a fight in progress about 5 a.m. on Gresham Court East, near Crestwood Boulevard.
Torres demanded several times that Gray and two other men ----Gray's cousin Jerame Duvall and Charles Kahiga -- lie on the ground or Torres would use his Taser.
When Gray did not comply, Torres struck Gray in the chest with the Taser.
"Gray's hands dislodged from his pants as he fell, but he landed face-down with his hands still out of sight beneath him," the report states. "After Tasing Gray, Torres called on his radio for additional units, EMS, and another supervisor for the use of force."
Torres then moved toward Gray, ordering him again to show his hands or he would shock him again with the Taser. When Gray did not show his hands, Torres shocked him again.
Torres said he could see Gray react to the second shock.
" É Gray still remained noncompliant and while Torres continued to issue verbal commands to Gray, the other two males yelled to Torres that Gray was too drunk to comply," the report states.
Gray's blood alcohol content was .18, above the legal limit for a DWI charge, according to an autopsy report.
Duvall and Kahiga told Torres the fight started because they were trying to get Gray "either into or out of the car," the report states.
When additional deputies arrived, Torres told them to handcuff Duvall and Kahiga. Torres then told deputies to pull Gray's hands from underneath his body to handcuff him, the report states.
Soon after, Torres said, he turned Gray onto his side and noticed Gray moved into a "semi-fetal position," the report states.
"At that time Gray moved his head and coughed a few times," the report states. "EMS arrived after a short time and Torres directed them to check Gray since he had been Tased."
During an interview with Torres on Dec. 11, he said he did not recognize Gray the morning of the fight, despite having previous contact with him.
Torres said Gray, who is deaf in his right ear and hard of hearing in the other, seemed to have heard verbal commands clearly because he responded defiantly, cursing repeatedly, the report states.
Contrary to Torres' statements, Gray was not wearing his hearing aid and might not have heard the commands, the report states.
Detectives also interviewed Duvall and Kahiga within hours of Gray's death, according to the report. Duvall said he recalled two police officers ran to the group with guns and Tasers.
"I didn't think it was gonna happen like that. I thought they were gonna come up to us and talk to us. No guns in our faces or Tasers like that," he said. "It just went the wrong way."
When asked to elaborate, he said, he believes police called to a noise complaint or fight should "just come to you and talk to you, and not pull guns out in your face."
Duvall also said Torres struck Gray about 10 to 15 seconds after he had arrived and got out of his police car, the report states.
Detective: Why didn't Jarrel get on the ground?
Duvall: That's Jarrel.
Detective: What do you mean?
Duvall: He has his ways, the way he acts he is different, stubborn, knows his rights É deaf in one ear É
Detective: After being tased, did Jarrel say anything?
Duvall: Jarrel said "ah" and he was moaning. The police then handcuffed everybody including Jarrel É Ambulance came in five minutes, it was quick É
Detective: Why did they tase him?
Duvall: Maybe the officer felt, I don't know, they just tased him.
Detective: Why didn't they tase you?
Duvall: Because I was on the ground.
Duvall also said deputies did not perform CPR on Gray after he had been struck twice with the Taser, the report states.
Sarah Ismach, who was driving the group home from a party, said Gray had been drinking and might not have been compliant for that reason, the report states.
"It seemed like it was pre-destined like they were going to Taser somebody. Hey, it's a Saturday night, let's Taser somebody," Ismach said.
Responding to the report, Ted Williams, the attorney and spokesman for Gray's family, said the witnesses' statements contradict what Torres claimed happened that night.
Gray was not doing anything threatening, Williams said. Gray had not been using drugs, as confirmed by Gray's autopsy.
The family has filed a $145 million lawsuit against Torres, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins and the county.