Taser Death: La'Reko Williams (Charlotte, NC)

Last week was a rough one for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD). They were deemed out of control by a federal jury who awarded the family of a taser-killing with a $10 million settlement. Then they went ahead and did it again. This time CMPD officer Michael Forbes pumped 50,000 volts of electricity into the frail body of 21-year old La'Reko Williams -- killing him.

According to CMPD officials, police were called to the CATS Lynx Blue Line station at Woodlawn around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday where a man was allegedly beating and choking a woman. When Officer Michael Forbes and several other officers arrived, they ordered the man -- Williams -- to stop and sit down.

"He gave several orders for the male to desist. As he approached the male, the male got up and started running," CMPD Police Chief Monroe said early Thursday morning. "Officer Forbes gave chase and during the chase, he deployed his Taser."

Williams was knocked unconscious by the taser death-rays and Medic arrived moments later to revive him. Attempts by Medic and doctors at Carolinas Medical Center to revive the man with CPR were unsuccessful.

Less than an hour later, Williams was dead.

The mother of Williams' 1-year-old child said she was not the woman he was allegedly beating Wednesday night, and said she has never known him to be physically violent. She said she was in disbelief that police claim he was hitting and choking another woman.  However, Williams has been arrested twice for assaulting a female and once for assaulting an officer, according to police records.

The police are very quick to share police records when they are trying to avoid troubling taser-related death inquiries. Anyhow, the killer-cop (Forbes) has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the death investigation. Forbes has been a member of CMPD since Sept. 24, 2007.