His bike was stolen, and Ali told a police officer, Joe Martin, that he wanted to beat up the thief. At no point did I intend to harm him, Runnels said last week. He was especially concerned about officers trained before 2009, who may have never been re-trained on updated information. His fingers and toes were curled inward, and his arms bent at near 90-degree angles toward his chest. Then and only then well see an end to this crap. His most vivid recollection was the intense pain coming from his mouth. He was recording the interaction with his cellphone. In the medical world, Tasers causing cardiac arrest was apparently a well-established phenomenon. Bryce looked at Matt, confused. For Matt, the most damning evidence came from within Taser International itself. Instead of putting faith in my own son, I put faith in that Runnels was a cop and that he knew what he was doing, and that he was a professional., Matt had such visceral feelings of loyalty and camaraderie toward his fellow officers that hed previously been comforted by the assumption Bryce was somehow at least partially culpable for what happened to him. Its sickening to me to listen to Taser even speak, Matt continues. His mom, Stacy, folded her arms, clutching a tissue. That is so whether the tasing comes in the form of multiple, separate deployments or, as in this case, a single, continuous deployment that lasts for an extended period of time., Kirk Presley, Masters attorney, hailed the courts ruling, saying it relied on established precedent that excessive force is always unconstitutional., In fact, the jury found that defendant Runnels continued Taser trigger pull was intentional and malicious, Presley said in an email. We need White people of good conscience to join the fight against police cruelty and unlawful behavior. You are also welcome to join us onThe Porchover at the Black Kos Community group on Friday afternoons at 4 p.m. With the support of readers, we publicize our results through letters to the editor, press releases, and petitions. Everyone was at a loss, not just over the gravity of Bryces medical distress, but over what had sparked the use of force to begin with. Four years is not nearly enough for condemning this young man to alifetime of pain and suffering, but it is so much more justice than so many others got. Lets not wait until you or your family members are the victims before you join the fight. Masters was able to crawl out of his car before falling unconscious face-down on the pavement. I dont understand, when you watch that video, how you could treat anybodys kid that way.. Just shoot them with the Taser, and its over and done with, Mattsaid. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson of the Western District of Missouri announced that former Independence, Missouri, Police Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor The FBI arrived within the hour. One robbery happens every 15 minutes. Police said Morgan was belligerent and fired first, while Morgan said police started firing as soon as they saw his gun, and denied firing a shot, the report notes. After excessively tazing a fellow cops underage son during a traffic stop and slamming the handcuffed teen face-first onto the street, an overzealous officer was recently sentenced to four years in prison for violating the minors civil rights. Three years? He had to serve time. Was he drunk, on drugs, what could do this? No, thats not it at all, the nurse responded. Timothy Runnels, 32, previously pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of 17-year-old Bryce Masters. It was easier for himto view Runnelss actions as an error of judgment exacerbated by ignorance. Its really bad, she said. He had assumed he couldnt wake up on time, so his parents went without him. But it was a crime scene at that point, with several officers there and yellow tape stretched to cordon off the section of property where the interaction had played out. A federal judge ordered that the. Former Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced last week to four years in prison over the September 2014 incident. "The department remains committed to ensuring. His face was swollen, with some dirt and asphalt mashed into his cheek. He was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading in 2015 to one count of deprivation of rights. In a rare instance of a court denying qualified immunity to a government official, the 8th U.S. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody. Bryce let out a piercing scream. But in more recent comments to a state investigator, Tolbert said that he drew the crime scene and Sanford only drew the bodies. Nothing I couldve done would have stopped him that day. He was allowed to remain free on bond Tuesday and was given until Aug. 1 to surrender to federal authorities. A man said, Oh, my god. A police officer with the Kansas City Police Department quickly brought his fist to his mouth, turned to the man next to him, and whispered, Jesus. Even those sitting behind the defendant a few friends, his wife, his family gasped, as if the recordingrevealed a truth about Runnels they had never considered. Later, a different spokesperson would tell KCTV that the use of the Taser was in policy. Runnelss name wasnt initially released. Matt started searching the internet for Taser deaths and cardiac arrest. Hes going to prison. But in the summer of 2014, Bryce started having run-ins with the local police. Matt, Stacy, and Bryce all said that the harassment has become worse. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). Driver uncooperative, struggles, taser deployed, additional struggle. The past 20 months have been emotionally and physically exhausting, the statement said. Lexipol. Matt Masters does not agree that the Taser use was reasonable, but he agrees it was common police practice. Any positive reviews previously submitted about Dr. Timothy D Runnels, DC will appear here. Warning: This video contains graphic scenes of police violence. First, according to Bryce, he and a friend named Curtis Martes were searched by two Independence officers, Travis Gillihan and Timothy Runnels. They have also lived in Milton, FL and Troy, AL. And, when they do, theres someone on the receiving end of that., When asked if he still has faith in the system, considering that Runnels is one of the rare officers to face criminal punishment for using excessive force, Matt shakes his head no. Even the victim, 18-year-old Bryce Masters, had seen it only once. Some of Bryces memories are made and erased overnight, and sometimes more frequently. Judge Dean Whipple had not yet watched the government's key piece of evidence a dashboard video because he wanted to do so with attorneys present to make arguments. He tells Bryce to get out but doesnt give a reason. Warning: This video contains graphic scenes of police violence. Bryce began to moan.You dont like to play by the rules, do you, Runnels said. Timothy Runnels now . As he looked Bryce over, Matt casually floated his positional asphyxia theory. Dr. Augustin was firm. Federal prison records show he was released on Dec. 27, 2019. As Stacy walked into Centerpoints trauma center, nurses ushered her to where Bryce was hooked up to a ventilator, still unconscious. theintercept.com Tased in the Chest for 23 Seconds, Dead for 8 Minutes, Now Facing a Lifetime of Recovery Bryce was given simple tasks, things kindergartners could do, as he put it. Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. More importantly, if there was no warrant associated with Bryce or his car, why was he stopped in the first place? Curtis told them it was one of the cops who had stopped them earlier that summer. Runnels, who was fired from the Independence Police Department after his encounter with Masters, pleaded guilty in 2015 to a single deprivation of rights charge and was sentenced to four years in prison. Matt suspected that once it was clear the warrant association to the car wasnt sufficient probable cause for an arrest, Runnels needed new justifications. In a highly publicized Canadian inquiry into the 2007 Taser-related death of Robert Dziekanski in the Vancouver International Airport, a police psychologist accused the company of using the mythical disorder as a way to justify ridiculously inappropriate Taser use by police officers. He took a shot right to the heart, and that sent him into cardiac arrest.. Set up meetings. He knows there are manydeserving cases, especially involving minority victims, that never see the inside of a courtroom. He said hed once been funny and quick-witted, and could fit in with lots of different groups. The catalyst for the crime was the 23-second Taser deployment straight into Bryce's chest. Matt assumed cardiac arrest would be a prominent part of the conversation. When Stacy would try to push him in his rehab, he sometimes snapped. In hindsight, Matt was fixated on the Taser and not on the other evidence in front of him. Matt headed to jail and posted Bryces bail. Matt and Stacy didnt sleep at all that first night. He has worked on SWAT teams and has been part of Kansas Citys police narcotics unit, taking point on an estimated 1,000 search warrants during one three-year span. The sergeant didnt respond well to the threat and told her that if she were a better mother, maybe none of this would have happened. That august body will now discuss and then vote on whether to adopt The Michael Brown Over-Police Rights Act (MBOPRA) at theLegislative Session of the NAACPs Annual Convention. Whenever you see these officers come out with a use of force, whether it be a shooting or a tasering or a whatever, there are phrases that always go in those reports, that weve been trained to put in there, Matt said. A federal judge on Monday released the police dashcam video that shows former Independence Police Officer Timothy N. Runnels using excessive force in arresting then-17-year-old Bryce Masters. A measure of. He thought again about his own training, and how Taser International, by holding a virtual monopoly on the weapons, heavily influenced the information officers received. It is my considered opinion that had this been a black Bryce, hewould be dead right now. Judge Dean Whipple had not yet watched the governments key piece of evidence a dashboard video because he wanted to do so with attorneys present to make arguments. Cops do make bad decisions. Matt once received a standing ovation after a grand jury cleared him of any wrongdoing in shooting a 16-year-old armed robbery suspect four times. Stacy was comfortable with Matt remaining at the scene, not realizing what she would face when she arrived at the hospital. Aside from dealing with a traumatic brain injury, Bryce has battled the perception that he is somehow responsible for the crime committed against him. Meanwhile, Independence police officials were intent on controlling the story. I still get what cops go through, the decision-making process, the damned if you do, damned if you dont process, Matt said. Interment will follow in the Largent Cemetery. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. He jumped up from his seat and yelled, What the fuck? In every interaction, whether at school or out in public, the question of what he did, what responsibility he must have for his own injury, hung over him. share. According to the indictment, Runnels continuously deployed a Taser against Bryce while he was on the ground and not posing a threat to the defendant or others. It was the first time the Masters realized that Bryce had been repeatedly tased. Ending qualified immunity a doctrine established by the Supreme Court nearly 40 years ago has become a central goal of proponents of police reform in the wake of the murder of George Floyd a year ago by a Minneapolis police officer. Bryce tried to appreciate the moment, but he wasnt nave. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark argued that the length of time that Runnels held down the Tasers trigger was an aggravating factor. The Taser discharge, meanwhile, caused Masters to suffer a convulsion and go into cardiac arrest. The video, from the September 2014 incident, shows former police officer Timothy Runnels approaching the vehicle. Timothy is related to Carolyn Ann Runnels . It was the Taser that almost killed Bryce. Five years later on September 14, 2014 it would be difficult to argue that Runnels was unable to avoid shooting Bryce in the chest. I dont know, she said. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. At the age of 12, Ali discovered his talent for boxing through an odd twist of fate. The video showing what OfficerTimothy Runnelsdid to the teenager is almost unwatchable. It was the first and only time that I ever tattled on any of my siblings. 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