Taser Death: Dennis Sandras (Houma, LA)

The police in America continue to have a love affair with their taser guns that results in a weekly extra-judicial electrocution. The police do not seem to understand that their taser guns are not toys ... that they kill. Otherwise, they would not pull out their taser guns to kill people that simply need to be restrained.

The latest incident occurred in Louisiana. 49-year old Dennis Sandras died shortly after being handcuffed by a number of Houma police officers. Sandras made a fatal mistake of struggling with the arresting officers. Of course, he thought that resisting arrest was a crime that would give him jail time ... he had no way to know that the Houma poice intended to impose their own version of the death penalty.

Sandras was electrocuted with 50,000 volts from the taser guns of at least two unidentified police officers. [SOURCE]

Officers went to St. Francis de Sales Cathedral about 11:20 a.m. when alerted by a caller that a man was “jumping off of roofs,” Houma Police Chief Todd Duplantis said.

The first officer to arrive approached Sandras, who fought with her, Duplantis said.

Two other officers went to the first officer’s aid, twice using a Taser to subdue the “combative” Sandras, police said.

After he was handcuffed, officers determined Sandras was “unresponsive.”

He was taken to Terrebonne General Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Duplantis said.

Duplantis deosn't want to acknowledge that the cause of death was the taser guns. He wants to wait to get results from the autopsy.

Officials refused to release the names of the officers involved, though Houma Police Sgt. Dana Coleman did say the two who came to the first officer’s aid were put on administrative leave pending an internal-affairs investigation. Such an investigation is routine when a suspect dies in custody, authorities said.

Duplantis said releasing the officers’ names could jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

The first officer did not discharge the Taser and remains on the job, police said.

Authorities would not say whether one of the other officers shocked Sandras twice or if each administered a single shot. Police did say that both officers are certified to administer the electric jolt intended to subdue a combative suspect.

The autopsy was conducted Monday, and results are pending the outcome of tissue tests, said Terrebonne Coroner’s Office investigator Danny Theriot. Those results typically take several weeks.

The investigation into Sandras’ death is being conducted by Houma Police and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office.