Two unidentified Greenville police officers came to the Torres home to serve mental papers. The police clearly understood that this man was ill ... not a criminal ... not armed ... just sick. Instead of handling the process like professionals, the police allowed the situation to escalate to a point where taser guns were drawn and fired multiple times.
Ten minutes later, while in police custody, Andrew Torres was unresponsive. An ambulance responded to the scene and medics found him in cardiac arrest. Torres was driven to the hospital where medical personnel pronounced him dead at 5:40 p.m.
The mother said her son was suffering from a form of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. For years the family turned to National Alliance On Mental Illness in Greenville for help. They attended support groups and education classes to learn how to deal with mental illness. [SOURCE]
"We understand their son had not been taking his medicine," said Fletcher Mann, NAMI Greenville program director. "His condition worsened (and the) family was seeking to go through the legal process of commitment," he said.To families living with mental illness, Andrew's death is another painful reminder that the system doesn't always work.
We wait to see what the coroner says about this taser-related killing. In the meantime, the under-trained police continue to use their tasers as a killing weapon all over America. When will it stop?
