Matthew Bolick, described by his family as a loving brother and caring son who loved jazz and camping with friends and was a year away from a bachelor’s degree in meteorology at Central Michigan University, died Monday night while in police custody. His family issued a statement about his death:
His sister, Kellie Kettner, wrote:
We lost our wonderful son, older brother, and friend, Matt Bolick, who died last night. This is a tragic loss and he is being portrayed in a negative light. Please withhold judgment until all the facts are known and remember, Matt was a caring human being who had a zest for life, and whose family is deeply devastated by this confusing loss.
As Stephen Bolick replayed the scene of his son’s death, he said the details did not add up. Why, Bolick asked, did it take police three or four Taser gun shots to subdue 30-year-old Matthew Bolick, who, at 5'6" inches tall, weighed just 135 pounds?
Bolick died after police arrived at his East Grand Rapids home. Bolick was tasered three or four times by two unidentified police officers. He was dead 45 minutes after the police arrived.
It was the first time a Taser has been used by an East Grand Rapids police officer. The identity of the officers involved have not been released.
No cause of death has been determined yet. An autopsy Tuesday showed no internal trauma; additional tests, including toxicology, could take weeks to complete.
The facts as we know them don't bode well for the East Grand Rapids police officers. I don't recall any of the other 47 people who died in taser-related shootings that were shot four (4) times.
What are your thoughts on this case? Or the taser situation in general?
