The story of the death of Otto Zehm in a Spokane convenience store where the mentally ill man was trying to buy a soda, the story of a death caused by the unwarranted use of a taser isn’t going away. Thanks again to Dave Reynolds of The inclusion Daily Express.
Lawsuit Filed In Otto Zehm Death
(Spokesman-Review)
March 24, 2008
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON– [Excerpt] A federal civil rights suit against the city of Spokane and nine of its police officers says Otto Zehm died three years ago when police officers used batons and Tasers in a display of excessive force on the unarmed, passive, mentally ill man who merely wanted to buy a soda.
The lawsuit was filed Friday by the Center for Justice, five days before a legal deadline, after its attorneys spent months in private meetings with city attorneys. The negotiations failed to produce a damage settlement, a plan for changes in the way police deal with mentally ill people, or a sought-after apology.
The suit alleges the Police Department and its former acting chief, Jim Nicks, engaged in a conspiracy to portray Zehm as the aggressor after the 36-year-old janitor’s March 18, 2006, encounter with Officer Karl Thompson and other officers in a North Spokane convenience store. Zehm’s death two days later was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
The filing of the suit came after the Center for Justice and city attorneys failed to reach an out-of-court settlement.
Entire article:
Lawsuit filed in Otto Zehm death
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/2009/red/0324d.htm
S.K.
Planet of the Blind 
When did the taser go from being a defensive weapon to a torture device to compel compliance?
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