15 Year old Detroit boy with asthma dies after being Tasered While Black

Francis Holland at the blog Electrocuted While Black is reporting on how a 15-year-old Detroit boy died after being Tasered by police.

The U.S. police's electrocution spree continues unabated, with a child shocked to death after driving with expired license plates, says the Washington Post.

The Associated Press
Friday, April 10, 2009; 6:06 PM

DETROIT -- A 15-year-old has died after he was Tasered by police following a traffic stop and short foot chase that began just north of Detroit.

Warren Deputy Police Commissioner Jere Green says the teen was Tasered Friday while struggling with officers inside an abandoned Detroit house. He later was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The house was about a half-mile from where Warren police stopped a vehicle for having an expired license plate. The teen was one of three people in the vehicle. The other two were taken into custody.

The death is under investigation. An autopsy is scheduled Saturday.

There is more about this story. As reported by Mitch Hotts, a staff writer with the Macomb Daily, The mother of the teenager who died last week after he was struck by a Taser said on Monday she is trying to find forgiveness in her heart for the Warren officers involved.

Cora Mitchell said her 16-year-old son, Robert Mitchell, was a special education student who probably panicked when police pulled over a car driven by his friend Friday and he jumped out of the car and ran.

"These police officers have just flipped the tables on not only me and my family, but their wives and children as well," she said while standing on the porch of her home in northeast Detroit as a steady stream of friends and relatives stopped by.

"I am a Christian" woman and in my heart I'm trying to find forgiveness for them because they're going to have to live with this for the rest of their lives — forever," she said.

Robert Mitchell was a front-seat passenger in a 1996 Dodge Stratus that was stopped by police Friday morning on Eight Mile, near Schoenherr, for an expired license plate.

When the driver pulled over, Mitchell bolted from the vehicle and ran across all four lanes of Eight Mile into Detroit. He was eventually confronted at a vacant house on Pelkey in Detroit where pursuing Warren officers fired a Taser at him once.

Mitchell fell to the ground and became unconscious. He was treated at the scene by emergency personnel and later died at Henry Ford Hospital, Warren Campus.

It's not known why Mitchell ran from the officers. He did not have a warrant out for his arrest and was not carrying any contraband, according to investigators.

"We spoke with the driver and he said Robert admitted he was going to exit and flee," said Detective Lt. Michael Torey of the Warren police. "The driver inquired why he was going to run and there was no response." Mother of Teen Boy Wants Answers

As reported by sky.com the 15-year-old boy died in America after being Tasered by police trying to break up a fight. Over 300 people have died in US after being Tasered The teenager from Bay City, Michigan, was involved in an argument at an apartment in the city in the early hours of Sunday morning. After police arrived the boy allegedly tried to fight the officers before the Taser gun was used on him. Police immediately called for emergency medical help after the boy's violent reaction to being Tasered. He was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after. One officer involved in the incident has been placed on administrative leave as a result of the boy's death. An Amnesty International report claims that more than 300 people have been killed after being Tasered since 2001 in the US. The report claims many of the deaths involved... [read full story]

UPDATE: The Michigan State Police will probe Taser death of boy, 15 - Examiner.com

Note, Afrospear bloggers, African American Political Pundit through the blog, Tasered While Black, Villager at Electronic Village, Francis Holland at the blog Electrocuted While Black, Sylvia at Problem Chylde, Pam Spaulding at Pam's House Blend, Kevin at Slant Truth, Brandon Q at SuperSpade, along with Jack and Jill Politics have been following the Tasering of black folks over the past few years. Afrospear members like The Black Snob and many others have been involved in a number of educational efforts, including A Day of Blogging For Justice - Blogging Against Extra-Judicial Electrocution (Tasers).

Cross posted on African American Political Pundit and Tasered While Black