Police Shoot Blind Stroke Victim With Taser In Back In Fear That His White Stick Was A “Samurai Sword”

Colin Farmer, 63, is a blind stroke victim who uses a standard white stick to walk. Farmer suddenly found himself on the ground in Lancashire, England after a police officer thought he was brandishing a samurai sword. He shot Farmer in the back with a 50,000-volt Taser stun gun.

Farmer, 63, was on his way to a pub to meet friends and, due to two prior strokes, moved quite slowly. He fell to the ground in shock on October 12th and only found out later that an officer had shot him.

He is seeking damages for assault, false imprisonment and a breach of his human rights. The police department is still investigating though all of the staring at the cane is unlikely to turn into anything that looks like a samurai sword.

Source: Independent