Man Tasered by NYPD Falls Off Building Onto His Head, Dies

[Matt Molnar]

I'm not normally one to bash cops when something like this happens, but wow, this was dumb.

NY Post:

COPS IN NUDE TASER SLAY (http://www.nypost.com/seven/09252008/news/regionalnews/cops_in_nude_taser_slay_130670.htm)
B'KLYN DEATH PLUNGE AFTER 2ND-STORY JOLT

Police fired a Taser at a naked Brooklyn man armed with only a fluorescent light tube yesterday, sending him falling to his death from a second-floor ledge after he went on a 40-minute rant.

Iman Morales' mom begged cops not to hurt her son, telling them he's sick - then watched in horror as he plunged from the top of the roll-down gate on which he'd been perched.

An Emergency Services officer, acting on the orders of his boss, fired at the 35-year-old man at around 2 p.m., as he waved the 8-foot fluorescent light tube, police sources said.

Story with disturbing photos and video here: http://www.nypost.com/seven/09252008/ne ... 130670.htm (http://www.nypost.com/seven/09252008/news/regionalnews/cops_in_nude_taser_slay_130670.htm)

[cancidas]

wow. talk about being between a rock nad hard place. one on hand the officer was ordered to do it, but you know the media is going to twist this. i don't think i would have followed that order personally. considering the fact that the guy only had a lightbulb as a weapon there were other ways IMO to "disarm" him.

[NIKV69]

Yep, someone will definately be getting fired on this one. Horrible. I mean don't they know when you hit someone with the taser they lose all control of their body for a few seconds? Did they think he could fly?

[T-Bird76]

Wow those pictures are pretty graphic...especially the last one. I think it’s clear that the cops didn't act responsibly here. This situation could have been resolved in another manner; at least they could have called the FD to lay down a mat or something to break his fall. At no time was the Police in any danger.

[PhilDernerJr]

Clearly none of you have ever been attacked with a light saber. THAT ISH HURTS.

But seriously, this is a shame, and it's clear that if tasered, this man was going to be seriously injured at the least. They should have waited and had at least something to catch him.

As crazy as he was, he sure did predict his death.

[emshighway]

Wow those pictures are pretty graphic...especially the last one. I think it’s clear that the cops didn't act responsibly here. This situation could have been resolved in another manner; at least they could have called the FD to lay down a mat or something to break his fall. At no time was the Police in any danger.


They don't call FD except to wash the blood off the sidewalk. NYPD ESU has an airbag unit but this is for more high angle jumpers. I would say he died more because he was taken to Woodhull then from the fall.

[NIKV69]

Heard on the news that the NYPD admitted that they have something in their guidelines against using the taser on someone on a elevated surface. This was a total breakdown. Not to mention this guy had a mental issue. I think they totally acted improperly. Enter damage control.

[Gerard]

> I would say he died more because he was taken to Woodhull then from the fall.[/quote]<

OUCH!!!! :o

[Gerard]

The two ESU cops involved have been taken off the streets. The ESU Lt. (a 21 year vet) and the officer who fired the Taser (10 years on the job, 6 with ESU) are on modified duty and seem to be in a boat load of trouble. But they should have known better. ESU deals with tens of thousands of EDPs every year with no problems. What the heck were they thinking? Didnt say how long the Lt. was with ESU.

[moose135]

CW11 News just reported live from Floyd Bennett Field that the ESU Lt. who gave the order to taser the man has shot and killed himself at the ESU facility at FBF.

[T-Bird76]

CW11 News just reported live from Floyd Bennett Field that the ESU Lt. who gave the order to taser the man has shot and killed himself at the ESU facility at FBF.

WOW! That's unreal! Just yesterday they had a story that he was truly sorry for what he did. This really must have overwhelmed him to take his life like that. From all sides this has been a truly tragic story.

[NIKV69]

moose135 wrote:
CW11 News just reported live from Floyd Bennett Field that the ESU Lt. who gave the order to taser the man has shot and killed himself at the ESU facility at FBF.


WOW! That's unreal! Just yesterday they had a story that he was truly sorry for what he did. This really must have overwhelmed him to take his life like that. From all sides this has been a truly tragic story.


Wow, read that article too. Guess he guilt and fact that his career in jeapordy was too much.

[wunaladreamin]

To your eternal shame and damnation, Ray Kelly, you have caused this good, dedicated cop to kill himself, because you saw fit to hold him out to public ridicule, just to make yourself look good, and pander to the cop hating element in this city. So much for innocent until proved guilty huh? Oh, that right is only afforded to the savages. You might as well have pulled the trigger yourself. It's yet another moronic personnel decision of yours, Kelly, belittling a proud, honorable NYPD Lieutenant in public, and driving the man to suicide, all because in the heat of the crisis, he made a poor decision in trying to protect his troops. In order for you to go out of this world, salvaging even one speck of honor from your miserable life, you should immediately go into your private bathroon on the 14th floor of 1 P.P. and eat your own gun.

R.I.P. Lieut.

[Matt Molnar]

To your eternal shame and damnation, Ray Kelly, you have caused this good, dedicated cop to kill himself, because you saw fit to hold him out to public ridicule, just to make yourself look good, and pander to the cop hating element in this city. So much for innocent until proved guilty huh? Oh, that right is only afforded to the savages. You might as well have pulled the trigger yourself. It's yet another moronic personnel decision of yours, Kelly, belittling a proud, honorable NYPD Lieutenant in public, and driving the man to suicide, all because in the heat of the crisis, he made a poor decision in trying to protect his troops. In order for you to go out of this world, salvaging even one speck of honor from your miserable life, you should immediately go into your private bathroon on the 14th floor of 1 P.P. and eat your own gun.

R.I.P. Lieut.
Or maybe he just felt really bad about making a boneheaded decision that killed somebody? How could Kelly have defended what the guy did after the whole world saw the video?

[wunaladreamin]

Or maybe he just felt really bad about making a boneheaded decision that killed somebody? How could Kelly have defended what the guy did after the whole world saw the video?
Or maybe the fact that DCPI was authorized by Kelly to give out personal information to the press, such as the Lieut's address, so they may chase the story futher, adding more stress. Or, was it the whole jabbing of the cops with a light bulb (a felony) that was hardly acknowledged. Or, perhaps the EDP basically saying he was going to commit "suicide by cop." I'm not saying the guilt didn't play a huge part in it, but instead of helping a traumatized fellow officer under investigation by the rat squad, Kelly fed him to the wolf pack (even though he admitted himself deficiencies in tazer training) and continued to pander to the savages and sold this poor stand up guy for a mayoral vote. There is blood on his hands, and this is not the first time either. Ever heard of "Viper"?

I only hope they put the cop who administered the tazering on a suicide watch. He could be next (God forbid).

[PhilDernerJr]

Kenny has a point about him being fed to the wolves. I can agree with that part. Saying Kelly should off himself as well..... a bit extreme.

Either way, more tragedy added to this situation is horrible. RIP LT.

[NIKV69]

Though I don't fully agree with Kenny I agree it was handled horribly. His info should not have been leaked and it should have been kept confidential until an investigation was completed. This man made a wrong decision that led to a mans death but he was thrown to the wolves. The whole situation is stinks. Even though his mistake caused a mans death he had 21 good years on the force, they could have him resign with some sort of pension and honor.

[Derf]

I agree Nick...and that was well put! :borat:

[emshighway]

Police Lt. in Deadly Taser Case Commits Suicide
By Christine Hauser – Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 ‘The New York Times’

A New York City police lieutenant who gave the order to fire a Taser stun gun at a man who then fell to his death in Brooklyn committed suicide at Floyd Bennett Field early on Thursday, law enforcement sources said. The lieutenant, Michael Pigott, a 21-year veteran of the force, had been placed on modified assignment without his gun and badge after he gave the order to a sergeant to fire the Taser at a Bedford-Stuyvesant man, Iman Morales.

Mr. Morales, naked and with apparent signs of emotionally disturbance, fell to his death from a building ledge after an officer shot him with the Taser, at the instruction of Lieutenant Pigott. Mr. Morales had been yelling at passers-by and swinging a long light bulb tube at officers before he fell.

The department announced that the use of the Taser appeared to violate departmental rules, and a new commander of the Emergency Service Unit was named. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly also emphasized the need for additional training.

Asked about the development on Thursday morning, the chief spokesman for the police department, Paul J. Browne, said only: “A New York City police lieutenant was killed this morning apparently as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” he said. “The identification is being withheld pending family notification.”

Mr. Browne declined to comment further.

It was not immediately clear where the weapon used for the suicide came from. Lieutenant Pigott was assigned to modified duty, which meant that his service weapon was taken from him, and he was also not assigned to the training that was taking place at Floyd Bennett Field, which Mr. Kelly had ordered after the Taser death last week.