Doctors have not yet determined what caused the death of a 39-year-old Santa Rosa man who died after being shocked with a Taser by Sonoma County sheriff?s deputies in December.
Nathan Vaughn was hit with a Taser three times in his parent?s Larkfield home after deputies responded to a call that Vaughn was assaulting his father; 53 minutes later, Vaughn was declared dead.
In toxicology reports released this week, Vaughn was said to be under the influence of bupropion, an anti-depressant, and hydrocodone, a narcotic pain reliever, when he died.
Initial autopsy results also showed evidence of an unknown heart condition.
Sgt. Mitch Mana of the Sonoma County Coroner?s Office said it is still undetermined what caused Vaughn?s death.
Sheriff?s officials maintain that Tasers, electronic control devices that stun a suspect from a distance of up to 15 feet, increase officer and suspect safety and rarely cause injury or death.
?If you look at the total number of usages, 99.9 percent of them the injuries are very minor,? Sonoma County Sheriff?s Capt. Matt McCaffrey said. ?In a physical fight someone?s going to get hurt.?
But nearly 20 critics of police use of the shock device demonstrated in downtown Santa Rosa on Friday evening. They held signs and a banner that read ?Tasers = Torture.?
?Tasers are a dangerous, inhumane weapon and we want to get rid of it,? said Edgar Avila. The demonstration was organized by Petaluma CopWatch and the October 22nd Coalition of Sonoma County. After gathering at Old Courthouse Square, protesters marched to the Sonoma County Sheriff?s Department office.
Taser International claims steep decreases in the number of officer injuries among departments using the weapon. According to company reports, physical contact with suspects also decreases.
A San Jose court in June, however, found Taser International liable for the death of a 40-year-old Salinas man, Robert Heston, in 2005.
Heston was hit with a Taser 25 times, said John Burton, Heston?s family?s attorney.
Burton argues that Taser International knew about potential risks in prolonged discharges but that they did not warn users of the weapon.
On Feb. 5, a federal judge awarded Burton $1.4 million in the case.
Last year in Rohnert Park, Guy James Fernandez, 42, died after being hit with a Taser. Preliminary autopsy results showed he had high levels of methamphetamine in his blood, although his cause of death has not been determined.
Mana said the final report will take several more weeks.
The Sonoma County Sheriff?s Department added Tasers to its arsenal in 2003 but it wasn?t until 2005 that they were fully deployed, McCaffrey said.
Since 2003, 23 people in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties have been killed in confrontations with law enforcement. Five of them died after a Taser was used on them. The remainder were shot by guns.
The Sheriff?s Department is currently updating its Taser policy, which could bring changes ranging from training in Tasers to guidelines for their use, he said.
Staff Writer Robert Digitale contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat.com.
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