Phoenix Police Officer Arrested After Tasering and Shooting Unarmed Man

Phoenix police Officer Richard Chrisman has been arrested after he first tasered and then shot Danny Frank Rodriquez, 29. He also shot the family dog. Another officer reported that neither he nor Chrisman were being threatened at the time.

Elvira Fernandez called the police after she felt her son might hurt her. Chrisman responded to the domestic violence call and within 15 minutes of his arrival, Rodriquez was dead. At the outset, according to reports, Rodriquez demanded a warrant and Chrisman reportedly shouted “I don’t need no warrant, mother******.”

Chrisman is a nine-year veteran who has been the subject of four internal inquiries including an excessive-force allegation in 2009.

Bond was set for Chrisman at $150,000 and he will be represented by the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association.

If the mother sues for wrongful death, this could prove an interesting case where the police department raises a “rogue employee” defense. Given the charges, the department can argue that Chrisman violated both criminal law and police regulations.

Source: AZCentral

Jonathan Turley

27 thoughts on “Phoenix Police Officer Arrested After Tasering and Shooting Unarmed Man”

  1. One of the reasons it is so hard to monitor bad police officer’s, is the good old boy system gets intertwined with the civil service procedure. As officer’s come up for real discipline and are fired, arbitration hearing’s, are faced with the reasoning, that that the last officer didn’t get fired, for the same set of circumstances, so it is unfair to fire any police officer. Neat setup. There is an interesting history of the Austin Texas Police Department and this policy, in the the book ‘Are There Christian Cops in Austin Texas’ sold at Amazon.com.
    My view, is that each police force needs a ‘service’ once a week, required of all officer’s, that teaches an overview of world religion’s, cultures, morals and principal’s.

  2. Very similar things happened here in Belgium a few weeks ago:

    The parents of a 25-yr old had called the police to come by and calm down their son as he was in a particularly angry mood.

    Police came with a standard S.W.A.T.-team as you see in the better Bruce Willis-movies, 8 heavily armed men went up to the room. The story ends with the youngster dying from a bullet through the head, from what the autopsie revealed, had to have come when he was already lying on the floor.

    Difference is that the nitwit that killed him didn’t even get arrested. And his superior defended all of their actions all the way.

    We all live in America, America, it’s wunderbar.

  3. Yes sirree!!! Them Phoenix police will never over react or harm someone in pursuit of trying to be the helpful and supportive organization the Guv. tried to insist we all believe. Can you imagine what this dust-up would have been, had this been someone shooting an illegal alien!!?

    YEOWEE !!!

  4. I wouldn’t automatically be afraid of that guy. Imagine him as a traffic cop or at a little league game. Or a tire salesman. Of course, Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a law student dating the daughter of a judge.

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