Police Tasered a shoplifting suspect and now he is dead, raising new concerns about the use of what is supposed to be a "non-lethal" weapon. It happened in Pentagon City, Virginia after an officer spotted the suspect inside the metro station.
William Randolph Bumbrey III was accused of stealing some store items from a nearby pharmacy. How that routine shoplifting case led to the use of a Taser and a Bumbrey's death is now under investigation. Arlington County police were on the lookout around 8:00 p.m. Sunday for a shoplifting suspect.
An officer went into Metro knowing it could be a quick and easy getaway. That's where police say the officer found Bumbrey, the stolen goods on him.
"When the officer approached the suspect he became combative and fought with the officer," said Detective Crystal Nosal, with Arlington County Police.
Police say the officer then used his Taser. It should have immobilized the 36-year old suspect but it didn't. A second officer arrived for backup. After Bumbrey was handcuffed, the officers noticed he was having problems breathing and called for medics. Bumbrey died shortly after.
"The officer deployed their Taser. It didn't appear to have an effect on the suspect and the suspect continued to struggle with the officer," said Det. Nosal.
State records show Bumbrey has a conviction on racketeering charges and is a registered sex offender in South Carolina who moved to the District in October. Bumbrey's father lives in Northwest DC.
A friend says the elder Bumbrey called him this morning with the news. "I said your son's dead? What do you mean your son is dead?" Leonard Dixon recalled asking his friend. Dixon says the details were scared.
"All he told me is that they used a Taser gun on him and they couldn't subdue him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what goes on," said Dixon.
Metro does have cameras inside the Pentagon City Metro, but Metro officials are unaware if the confrontation between the officers and suspect was caught on tape. It's unclear if the Taser even hit Bumbrey. The results of an autopsy and toxicology tests are pending.
Arlington County police say they have more than a hundred Tasers in the department but use them less than 20 times a year. The department says until now it's never had a possible Taser related death.
Police say officers only use the Taser when a suspect fails to comply with orders and the officer fears bodily harm. Unlike the use of a gun, which requires an officer fear for his life, the standards for Tasers are lower because Tasers are not considered deadly force.
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