There is a disturbing report out of Chicago where police were called when 95-year-old world War II veteran John Wrana refused to go to a hospital for a urinary tract infection. Called by paramedics to assist in getting Wrana into an ambulance, the Park Forest police showed up in riot gear and proceeded to shoot Wrana first with a stun gun and then with a bead bag fired from a shotgun. He no longer needed treatment for the urinary tract problem. He died from internal bleeding and blunt force trauma. He was about to celebrate his 96th birthday.
Wrana was reportedly frail and had difficulty walking. We have previously discussed other cases involving the killing of a bedridden elderly woman and an unarmed suicide case. The cases raise serious questions of the rapid escalation of such cases in the level of force used by police as well as the increasing use of “non-lethal devices” as a first response to threats.
Wrana was living in an assisted-living facility. Paramedics told police that he was threatening them with a metal shoehorn and a knife. Some reports indicate that Wrana had decided that he did not want to go through an operation. That may have been the reason why he was resisting. He said that he understood that not having the operation could kill him but decided against it. It is not clear whether he was declared incompetent before the attempt to force him to go to the hospital.
The family contests the claim of the knife. Even if he had a knife, it is hard to see why police could not stand back (particularly since they had riot shields) and avoid using such force on an individual who clearly would be a risk with either a stun gun or bean bag round. Even if the blunt trauma did not finish him off, the shock could easily trigger a heart attack in a near 96 year old man. Some reports indicate that multiple rounds of bean bags may have been used.
Wrana was U.S. Air Corps veteran who served in Burma and India during World War II. Sergeant Wrana survived the hellish fighting in Burma but would later die in the United States just short of this 96 birthday in a confrontation with police. Truly bizarre.
Just for the record. These bean bag rounds are often thought of as harmless, almost toy-like devices. The bean bags fired form a shotgun will initially travel at around 300-400 feet a second (though they have a range of 70 feet). They have been shown to break ribs and even push broken ribs into the heart. Internal bleeding is a well-known risk.
I can clearly see why this happens, employers (Federal and Government) seek kids out of high school with a squeaky clean record and hired them BEFORE a seasoned veteran whose seen various types of scenarios. THIS is the direct reflection of their hiring pool! this is G*D damn backwards!
“You don’t want to get better? Fine! Then we’ll kill you!”
This is too terrible. What is our society coming to concerning the elderly? Police power run amuck!! They should be treated just like the 95 yo. They will be the
re one day if they live long enough then maybe they will understand even though it is to late for this American Hero..
Hoax you say?
Well you might want to read the Chicago Tribune or contact the county coroner’s office to see about the deceased being admitted there.
The officers’ names not being released is often the case when an investigation is still pending that does not equate it to being a hoax.
Nothing about “real news sites” eh? you did notice the link to the Chigago News Tribune at the top of the article.
One day there will be no more oil. No more food will get to market. People will get hungry and will have no money because they cannot get to their workplaces. How else do you expect the police to deal with you? So they need practice, and who better to practice on than the nearly dead elderly?!
HOAX….Bet ya. No information as to the officers names, the nursing home and NOTHING on real news sites. Only on blogger and unreliable opinion pages or it simply did not happen the way the bloggers claim. But people will believe anything they see on the internet without checking into it then make silly unsubstantiated assumptions as it they know when in fact they dont know anything about the issue. Just like this page and these comments above
John Tucker wrote: “HOAX….Bet ya.”
I’ll take that bet.
You didn’t look very hard. CBS has the story. The local television news carried the story more than once, as did the local newspaper and radio stations.
You can see some video at the following links, with daughter, grandson, family’s lawyer, neighbors from the assisted living facility, etc.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/09/16/family-still-wants-answers-from-police-after-man-95-dies-from-beanbag-round/
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/07/27/elderly-man-dead-after-being-shot-by-police-with-beanbag-round/
They could have easily left the room and waited until he fell asleep.
This 95 year old man what could he do if he was sick with a bladder infection. I think that from what I read that this murdering cop just wanted to act big and show his authority. I know from experience if a patient didn’t want to go to hospital that we could not force them to go. I know I worked in healthcare for over 20 years. It just shows how bad some cops are in wanting to hurt brutalize ad kill a person. Why riot gear in a assisted living home.? It just shows that the 95 year old didn’t want to go thru that surgery since he knew what would happen. It saddens me to think that there is heartless people that can hurt a person that was just refusing to go to hospital. Maybe he wanted to go in peace. But instead he got tortured by those bean bags and stun gun then shoot. I think this cop needs to be tried for MURDER and CONVICTED. I wouldn’t want this cop to say his protecting my family. cause he is a murdering show off cop that wants to be known.
Why are cops all over this country no longer taught the concept of “minimum necessary force”? I remember hearing of that concept somewhere in my distant past in a law enforcement context but don’t know when it changed.
wth is wrong with these damn ppl have they all lost their minds ,a95 year old man i am sick and they need to be frired and proscuted for murder
My condolences for human rights.
Unbelievable! I pray these cops were at least fired! Or even sentenced to involuntary manslaughter!
Do it while you are young folks, Have an advance directive for healthcare. pick a Responsible person to assist in your decision making and to advocate for you..Someone in this mans life thought that it was important to force him into something he didn’t want to do.. Criminal…
I am very sorry for the loss of the family. I think before rendering an opinion, I would want to hear both sides of the story and additional information. People should always remember there is always more than one side.
Cheap thugs have no business being cops – that just gives them license to brutalize and kill whomever they want – even a 95 year old man. God bless this poor man and his family – God save us from our rapidly evolving police state!
Since this happened in the Windy City, was it “racisit?”.
i cannot believe the police are so stupid, they all should be charged and never be allowed to be policemen ever again, stupid people
my opinion the Police involved should be charged for the murder of this old man ..!!!!!!