A U.S. court's decision to punish an electronic stun gun manufacturer in the death of a North Carolina teen could send shockwaves through an industry that brands its product as a tool that protects life.
Stun gun distributor Taser International has been asked to pay $10-million in damages to the family of Darryl Turner, a 17-year-old North Carolina boy who died after he was tasered by a police officer in 2008.
The court ruled that the manufacturer created an unreasonable danger by not telling its customers what the weapon was capable of, a decision that raises questions about stun gun accountability for all who use them.
Taser International rebuked the verdict in a written statement, saying that it believes the jury's "deep compassion" for the Turner family "may have overwhelmed the scientific evidence presented in this case."
Arizona-based Taser International plans to appeal the verdict.
In March 2008, police were called to a North Carolina convenience store where Turner was an employee when the teen got into a fight with his boss and pushed a display over.
The responding officer chose to use his stun gun on Turner though there is no evidence that he was threatened. Surveillance footage captured the officer shocking the boy for 37 seconds, more than the typical five-second limit.
Turner went into cardiac arrest and died shortly after.
Lawyer John Burton, however, said the jury was right to discipline the manufacturer.
"Tasers when they're shot in the chest can kill people," said Burton who is lead counsel for Turner's parents.
"What they're selling is a dangerous product that is more dangerous because they don't explain what the real risks of the product are."
A man died after a Taser was deployed on him by police on the same day the court's decision was announced, prompting police in Charlotte to shelve Tasers for up to 45 days while they conduct a review.
The safety the devices was a major point of contention during a B.C. inquiry between 2008 and 2009.
During the Braidwood Inquiry, which questioned the safety of stun guns, former B.C. judge Thomas Braidwood found that tasers "do have the capacity to cause serious injury or death."
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