5 Toledo Police Officers facing internal charges for Tasering Black Man to Death

Five Toledo police officers including a sergeant are facing administrative charges for improperly handcuffing a man who died after he was shocked nine times with a Taser. Police and Lucas County jail authorities were involved in the incidents. The police department's internal affairs bureau concluded the officers did not use excessive force in the arrest Jan. 31 of Jeffrey Turner, 41, and that the use of a Taser at the time of his arrest was justified, Chief Mike Navarre said yesterday. However, the investigation showed that in transporting Turner to the jail, he was handcuffed behind his back and those cuffs were connected to oversized cuffs that were placed on his ankles, which is contrary to department policy. Officers Michael Haynes, Douglas Lewis, Michael E. Murphy, and Brian Young were charged with violating policy on transporting prisoners. Sgt. Daniel Ray was charged with one count of supervisory accountability. They remain on duty pending disciplinary hearings March 8. Chief Navarre said video from the Toledo Museum of Art, where the arrest occurred, showed Turner kneeling with his hands cuffed behind his back, another set of cuffs on his ankles, and a third set of cuffs connecting the other two sets. The chief declined to comment on whether the way Turner was handcuffed had an impact on his death later. An autopsy was inconclusive as to the cause and manner of Turner's death. Toxicology tests and further investigation are needed.[more]

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