Paul Severence insists that when the police arrived, he told police “He’s under the influence, so you guys should be careful.” He and others state that the police overacted when Severence did not put his hands behind his back fast enough. “They Tased him three different times. They just kept Tasing him. I told the police, ‘You’re going to kill that man,’ so after they did it a third time, I just walked away,” said Severence. He says that he saw an officer then hit him a fourth time.
It turns out that Oliver may have pins in his shoulders that restricts his movement and makes it difficult to put his arms behind him. He also had a heart condition. Oliver had a criminal record, though he recently graduated from Small Engine Mechanic School and had a child on the way.
We obviously have to wait for the results of the police investigation. However, the steady stream of deaths as a result of multiple tasers is a very disturbing trend. Despite the witness accounts, the officers may be able to establish that he was threatening them. Yet, the use of three or four tasers seems on its face pretty excessive.
The story is similar to another case where a man was frantically pounding on doors saying that someone was trying to kill him and was tasered and beaten, here.
For the full story, click here. He also died.