A Kansas deputy sheriff has come under fire from the public after a disturbing video of him using a Taser gun on an elderly Alzheimer's sufferer went viral on the internet.
Ottawa County deputy sheriff Russ Thornton and his colleague were called to the Good Samaritan Nursing Center in Minneapolis back in March to assist in accosting one of the patients, who had reportedly assaulted his fellow resident.
The officers were trying to convince the old man, referred to only as "Lee," to go to the doctor when the incident occurred.
Sheriff's Deputy Using A Taser On An Alzheimer's Patient
According to an investigation by the sheriff's office at the time, Lee suddenly became violent while Thornton and his colleague were trying to coax him to come with them for a doctor's appointment. This led to the officers using force to subdue the elderly patient.
In a two-minute video that surfaced on LiveLeak.com, Lee can be seen repeatedly refusing requests from the officers to leave the nursing home.
"OK Lee, now's the time that you have to go with us," one of the deputies told the elderly patient. "So, why don't you just go ahead and stand up so we can go."
Lee seemingly ignored the officer's request and then made a comment about being hungry.
The sheriff's deputy told him that he can eat later but that he had to go with them to the doctor first.
Another deputy told Lee that he needs to follow their instructions and that they didn't want to hurt him.
However, Lee still didn't pay attention to what the officers were telling him and briskly walked away. This was when Thornton took out his Taser gun and used it on the old man.
Lee fell to the floor screaming in pain as staff from the nursing home watched in shock at what was going on. The officers tried to calm him down before placing him in handcuffs and taking him out on a stretcher.
Excessive Force?
Following the incident at the Good Samaritan Nursing Center, the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office conducted an investigation to find out if there had been any wrongdoing in the part of the deputies.
The sheriff's office said Lee was combative and refused to comply to the deputies' request, forcing them to use the Taser gun to subdue him.
However, Lee's family said the incident left the old man with a broken wrist. It also served to weaken his heart, supposedly contributing to his death two months later.
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office has yet to issue a statement regarding the leaked video.
