Former Oklahoma Police Officers Face 10 Years to Life in Prison After Conviction for Tasering and Killing Unarmed Man

Former Oklahoma Police Officers Face 10 Years to Life in Prison After Conviction for Tasering and Killing Unarmed Man

Two former Oklahoma police officers were convicted on November 5 of the murder of Jared Lakey, 28, in 2019. The two former officers, Brandon Dingman, 35, and Joshua Taylor, 27, were convicted of second-degree murder in Lakey’s death, the result of them tasering him more than 50 times. According to Carter County, Oklahoma court documents, the tasering was a “substantial factor” in his death.

Lakey’s family filed a after his death. They were told he suffered more than one heart attack by medical personnel, even though his body was “riddled” with Taser marks. An autopsy report showed coronary artery disease and an enlarged heart.

Fourth of July, 2019

On July 4, 2019, the two officers responded to a call describing Lakey as “acting in a disorderly way.” He was reportedly running down the road and screaming.

The incident occurred in Wilson, a small town near the Texas border and approximately 100 miles south of Oklahoma City. The officers were members of the Wilson Police Department.

When confronted, Lakey did not comply with the officers’ requests. The two then tasered him 50 times. Lakey was unarmed.

Dashboard and Body Camera Video

The dashboard and body camera video shows Taylor using his stun gun on Lakey 30 times in less than two minutes, while Dingman tasered Lakey 23 times in just about two minutes. The entire interaction took less than 10 minutes, but Lakey was tasered for four of those minutes.

The video shows that, contrary to a statement later made by Dingman, Lakey made no attempt to get up and come at the officers. He did not strike the officers or make any move toward them. The video reveals that neither officer attempted to place their hands on Lakey to subdue him, which is part of their training.

It was not until the early hours of July 5 that Lakey was taken into custody, at which point he became unresponsive. He died on July 6 in the hospital.

Dingman and Taylor were charged with second-degree murder approximately one year later.

10 Years to Life

Dingman and Taylor face ten years to life in prison after their second-degree murder conviction. They were also found guilty of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Sentencing is scheduled for December 2.

The former officers’ lawyers said the pair plans to appeal.

More than 1,000 Dead from Tasers

In 2017, Reuters reported that 1,005 people had succumbed after Tasering in the U.S. since the stun guns were introduced in 2000. That number has obviously grown in the past four years. The report directly links 153 deaths to the use of the stun gun itself rather than contributing factors.

Nine out of 10 of those who died were unarmed. Twenty-five percent of the victims suffered from mental or neurological issues. Most of the deaths involved some other use of force, such as batons or pepper spray.

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Related topics: body camera footage (15) | civil rights violation (29) | wrongful death (17)


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