A Grand Canyon Times analysis of Reuters data found more than 1,000 people died following police Taser use from 2001 through 2018, with no federal agency maintaining a complete nationwide dataset tracking such fatalities, as the issue draws renewed attention in Michigan.
Reuters reported that approximately 90 percent of those who died were unarmed at the time of the encounter, and about one-quarter suffered from mental illness or a neurological disorder. In more than 400 of the incidents, Tasers were the only form of force used by officers. The investigation also found that 32 percent of victims were Black, despite representing 14 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Reuters investigation.
Deaths following police Taser use by state, 2001–2018
Source:Â Grand Canyon Times analysis of Reuters data
Data in the table shows California led all states with 224 deaths following police Taser use from 2001 through 2018, followed by Florida at 108 and Texas at 99, the Grand Canyon Times reported. The three states accounted for more than 40 percent of all recorded fatalities. Louisiana, Georgia, Arizona, Washington, and Illinois each recorded more than 30 deaths during the same period.
In Michigan, 23 deaths followed police Taser use from 2001 through 2018, according to the Grand Canyon Times analysis of Reuters data. The state’s total ranked among the top dozen nationally, with neighboring states Indiana at 17, Minnesota at 14, and Wisconsin at six also recording fatalities following law enforcement Taser deployments during the same period.
Reuters described its database as the most comprehensive public accounting of such deaths, noting that no federal agency maintains a complete nationwide dataset tracking fatalities following Taser use. Causes of death in many cases were listed as combinations of factors including cardiac arrest, drug intoxication, and injuries sustained after falls. Taser devices are produced by Axon Enterprise, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to the analysis.
Amnesty International has called for stricter limits on police Taser use, stating that the devices pose a serious risk to life and should only be deployed as an alternative to firearms where there is an immediate threat. The organization has documented hundreds of cases in which individuals died after being subjected to Taser discharges by law enforcement officers across the United States.
