Taser Va Halts Stun Guns After Prisoner Death, Taser, 2001
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.. ** ' ~. • fIDDAY,MAY 18; 2(X)11 PAGE'()B ··StlnJ. guJ1.'S:tl$C:: ~alt¢d~ after prisoner's- death .: RIClll4.0ND, (AP) - ' Virginia prison officials" imposed a moratorium 00 ·the use.'·of ·the· mtroo' IT stun gun after an. autopsy raised que.stil?DS ,about the" role of'·lhe devIce m aa inmate's death. " .. ', Lawrence FraZier, a Connecticut Inmate being held in the infirmary at iWallens Ridge state prison, died July 4 a.I:'ter he was shocked with the stun" gun during a struggle with ural causes, bJ'Ought, about by bis i underlying cbronicmedical c:Oolli- , tion," CQdections Dire~or'R9n;' AJ;Igelone said in·a.'WritteD'SUlte-; meat '. . ":".,,,..:,.. The Department of· Corrections ' haS. ,not said' publicly ,bow ..many , times Fr'azier.was·sbocked with·the : stun gun,during ·a,June 29.disturbance in the,wauens "Ridge,.infir.. I mary, or bow: long be was tied haDd- : guards. ' aad-foot·to'a' bed before,he',·was: An autopsy completed this '9o'eek found uncoriscious. _ .' .' concludes that Frazier died of"car· Frazier; a 50-year-old convicted ' diac 8I'Tbythmia due to stress wbile rapist; Lap&ed into a coma and died , being restraiDed following.stunning five days'later at a,aichInond:bos-with Ultron II device. The manner pital. _. . ,~. . of death is natural,.. said Robert The Ultron II isa'hand'·beld Holloway,~~ministratorof device that delivers 50,000 volts,of I the state M . . er's Office electricity. The departm"entbas in Richmond. issued a statewide moratoriUm ,on , That findinJ is at odds with last the use ofthe mtron IT "until issues SWDmer's rev:zew, commissioned by regarding, the- device are clarifiedi' the state 'Department of Correc- Mr. Angelone said.' \; ,. ": ,.. ":,~ •.,, tions, that determined the stun gun The FBI and the us. Department had nothing to do' with ,Frazier's of.Justice are,inVestigating allega· death.' , . tions of excessive force· 'against ~Priorto the. receipt oftbe med· inmates at Wallens Ridge,aiJd'Vir'lcal examiner's report. all indica· gioia's other super'maximurn-secu;:' riODS were that Frazier died of natrity pri.so~ at Red Onion.-', '. '.C' ;''':'''~ ; ~ .. '.. ,'.','.' : .. ,.,~; . :" "'~.',,