Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Shane Ledbetter Dies After Being Tasered

The man who was hospitalized after a violent struggle with Aurora police officers last week has died.

Shane Ledbetter, 38, ran from police on Thursday as they were arresting another man who was wanted on several arrest warrants including a felony, statewide extradition warrant.

Ledbetter ran through Mission Viejo Park and into a creek bed, where officers caught up with him.

Police said he was combative and resisted arrest so an officer shocked him with a Taser gun to subdue him. After he was shocked, Ledbetter became unresponsive and officers performed CPR while paramedics were called, said Aurora police spokeswoman Shannon Youngquist Lucy.

Ledbetter died early Sunday morning.

Ledbetter was wanted on several felony warrants including an escape warrant issued in Jefferson County in 2004.

The Arapahoe County Coroner's Office will perform an autopsy on Ledbetter early this week, but a final determination on his cause of death may take several weeks due to the amount of time it takes to get toxicology reports back, Lucy said.

As per policy in such an incident, detectives with the major crimes/homicide unit have been actively investigating the incident.

An Aurora patrol officer who was injured during the foot chase and arrest remains on medical leave. Investigators are uncertain when he will be well enough to speak with them, but hope to complete an interview later this week.

Detectives will turn over their report to the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office when it is completed.

No comments: