William Bumbrey III was at the Pentagon City Metro yesterday. An Arlington County police officer was in that metro station looking for a larceny suspect. The unidentified officer approached 36-year old Bumbrey. The officer didn't get the respect he wanted from the exchange ... so he pulled out his taser gun and pumped 50,000 volts of deadling electricity into the unidentified man.At that point, the police say that a second unidentified officer arrived on scene and assisted handcuffing Bumbrey. The officers called for medics who transported him to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The unidentified police officers have been placed on suspension until the investigation is complete.
One thing that I noticed about this taser-related death as it has been reported in the mainstream media is the demonization of Mr. Bumbrey. He has been described as a 'larceny suspect' and a 'sex offender' and a 'shop lifter'. It doesn't appear that the media has picked up on the idea that the penalty for shoplifting should never be DEATH-by-Taser.
