We had some movement in the death-by-Taser case of 16-year old Robert Mitchell. Villagers may recall that this was the 5'2" teenager chased into a vacant house by Warren (MI) police officers a couple of months ago. The youngster was unarmed. The police decided to pump Robert Mitchell with 50,000 volts of pure electricity instead of following the 'Use of Force Continuum' policy to gain custody of this diminutive teenager.
The medical examiner says that a heart condition most likely aggravated by the use of a Taser caused Mitchell's death. Mitchell is one of 22 people dead-by-Taser so far this year in America.
The manner of death for 110-pound Robert Mitchell is listed as "indeterminate" in a 10-page autopsy report completed by forensic pathologist Cheryl L. Loewe and signed May 28 by Macomb County Chief Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz. [SOURCE]
The medical examiner says that a heart condition most likely aggravated by the use of a Taser caused Mitchell's death. Mitchell is one of 22 people dead-by-Taser so far this year in America.
The manner of death for 110-pound Robert Mitchell is listed as "indeterminate" in a 10-page autopsy report completed by forensic pathologist Cheryl L. Loewe and signed May 28 by Macomb County Chief Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz. [SOURCE]
"The heart condition is the immediate cause of death," said Loewe. "Certainly, we cannot ignore the time relationship when Robert was Tasered and then found unresponsive and went into arrhythmia, coupled with the fact that Taser probes were applied over the chest.Of course the Warren Police Department has already moved on. The taser-wielding officer had a 3-day weekend after the killing. There is no further effort to punish the man who killed this young Black child.
"In a healthy adult, it's unlikely an arrhythmia may have been precipitated by a Taser. This is a unique case because of the underlying heart disease."
Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said "We do support the officer that used the Taser. It was justified, there had been an internal investigation conducted," Dwyer said. "The (Macomb County) prosecutor's office also ruled he's exonerated. The prosecutor agrees with us -- it was justified."Mitchell's mother, Cora Renea Mitchell, who also picked up the autopsy report, said she's hoping the information will bring answers and closure to her family.
"Today is a new day," she said. "I want to go over it and really see what I find."The autopsy said Mitchell suffered two Taser probe-related injuries -- above and below the nipple -- on the left side of his chest. The autopsy didn't reveal any other signs of injury to Mitchell's body.
"We know the Taser contributed to his demise. We want justice," Mitchell's grandmother, Charlotte McGlory, said this morning. "We want them (police) charged with first-degree murder and prosecuted."The police had this child under control. They were patting him down. The youngster is small (5'2") and doesn't weigh much (110 pounds). These are factors that the district attorney will need to consider as decision to file charges against the Warren police officer are made. What possible justification can there be to kill this kid with a taser?
