Taser shocked inmate more than 2 minutes

Charlotte Observer
Oct. 05, 2005

A Lancaster County deputy shocked Maurice Cunningham for an uninterrupted two minutes, 49 seconds before he collapsed and died inside the jail in July, according to an autopsy report the Observer obtained Tuesday.

Tasers are designed to incapacitate a suspect with a single five-second electrical blast. But the devices can shock a person for longer if the user continues holding the trigger.

The Taser blast that eventually stopped Cunningham came after five other shocks that lasted a total of 35 seconds, according to the autopsy report. The report said the Taser probes, which hit Cunningham in the leg and the arm, delivered an electrical current that disrupted the system that controls the heart.

The Sheriff's Office and inmates who witnessed the fight said the incident occurred after Cunningham stabbed two officers in the eyes with pencils. The Sheriff's Office has said the Taser blasts were the only way to stop Cunningham, who continued to fight even after he was shocked once and sprayed with pepper spray. Jail officers do not carry guns inside the facility.

Taser International, which makes the devices, warns users to minimize the amount of uninterrupted or multiple shocks.