Quotes of the Morning: Simply Stunning

“A Gwinnett County grand jury had decided not to pursue charges in the Taser gun-related death of an inmate at the county jail.
Inmate Frederick Williams died last year after Gwinnett deputies used a Taser gun to subdue him.
Williams' widow, Yanga Williams, said he was in a rage when she called officers to her home last May. She says her husband's violent behavior was due to his failure to take medication for epilepsy.
District Attorney Danny Porter provided details of the investigations to a grand jury and that grand jury decided not to pursue an investigation of their own. They, however, chose not to view the videotape taken at the jail.
‘They were aware of the tape and the disturbing aspects of it, but chose not to view it,’ Porter said. ‘They chose not to see it and chose not to go any farther. For all intents and purposes, this ends my case,’ he said.”
-WXIA, April 29, 2005

“This case that wasn’t important enough to pursue involved a handcuffed man with bound feet in custody being hit by Tasers five times inside of a minute and dying. The case that Mr. Porter is thinking of pursuing? Runaway bride.”
-Skippy

“Danny Porter, the Gwinnett County district attorney, said Ms. Wilbanks bought her bus ticket a week before she disappeared while jogging last Tuesday.
[…]
Mr. Porter said Monday that his office could file charges of making a false statement to law enforcement, a felony, and falsely reporting a crime, a misdemeanor. The charges carry penalties of up to five years in jail for the felony and one year for the misdemeanor, and maximum fines of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. He said it could take months to decide whether to file them.”
-New York Times, May 3, 2005

“Terrible.. And what might make this story even more interesting? How about the chance to see more stories like this?”
-Skippy

“Police embraced the weapons at first. But over the years, 103 people have died in North America after being shocked with stun guns, according to a review by Amnesty International. Now, Taser International's safety claims are the subject of a federal inquiry and police departments nationwide are reviewing procedures.
Earlier this month, the International Association of Chiefs of Police urged caution and offered guidelines for using stun guns, including training programs for police.
It's against this backdrop, and the fact that its stock price fell by-two thirds after a record high last year, that Taser International has launched a campaign to sell Tasers to civilians. It has come out with a much smaller yet more powerful civilian stun gun and is building a national dealer network, starting with Davidson's Inc., a major gun distributor that's the first to carry Taser's civilian model.”
-MSNBC, May 3, 2005