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U.S.|Where the Police Used a Taser on a Bible-Reading Great-Grandmother
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/us/abuse-and-injury-result-from-uneven-rules-on-police-taser-use.html
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A lack of state standards leaves Mississippi police and sheriff’s departments on their own to decide when to use stun guns, and many give officers a free hand.
Jan. 14, 2025Updated 1:12 p.m. ET
Last summer, a Mississippi police officer approached Vivian Burks as she sat in her car at a local park reading the Bible.
He was cordial at first, offering to help Ms. Burks replace her expired tags with the new ones she had in her car. But the encounter changed quickly after the officer, Blaine Musgrove, said he smelled marijuana and a second Carthage police officer demanded to search the vehicle.
When Ms. Burks, a 65-year-old great-grandmother with no criminal record, tried to get back into her car, the officers grabbed her and ordered her to place her hands behind her back, body camera footage shows. When she did not immediately comply, Officer Musgrove pressed his Taser into her back and shocked her, sending her to the ground in a heap.
Over the next 30 seconds, the video shows, Officer Musgrove shocked her three more times as she twisted her hands to avoid being handcuffed and begged the officers to stop, repeatedly shouting, “I’m sick!” The officers called an ambulance and then left her moaning for help until the paramedics arrived.
“I couldn’t breathe,” Ms. Burks told reporters in an interview. “I just thought that they were going to kill me.”
Video
transcript
transcript
A police officer in Carthage, Miss., Blaine Musgrove, used a Taser on 65-year-old Vivian Burks four times in less than a minute. During the encounter, Ms. Burks told the officers repeatedly that she was sick.
“Put your hands behind your back.” “Just let me get my stuff. Ow! [Taser is fired] Oh y’all, I’m sick.” “Turn over — turn over.” “Get off — I’m sick.” “I’m going to tase you again if you don’t.” ”I’m sick.” [unclear] “Put your hands behind your back.” [Taser fires] [Burks screams] “Y’all, I’m sick — I’m diabetic. Oh y’all, please!” “Turn over.” “Please. Y’all please!” “Ma’am!” [Taser fires] [Burks screams] “Y’all, I’m sick! Y’all, I’m sick! No, I’m sick!” “Put your hands behind your back!” “I’m sick.” “I’m going to tase you again if you don’t! Put them behind your back now!” “No!” [Taser fires] [Burks screams]
