His face was swollen, and they later found out that his jaw was likely dislocated, but popped back into place. An official website of the United States government. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. His most vivid recollection was the intense pain coming from his mouth. Matt once received a standing ovation after a grand jury cleared him of any wrongdoing in shooting a 16-year-old armed robbery suspect four times. He was intimately familiar with the grand jury process and how it skewed heavily toward exonerating officers in use of force situations. He knows there are manydeserving cases, especially involving minority victims, that never see the inside of a courtroom. Bryce looked at Matt, confused. Minutes later, Curtis called Matt again. It goes back to the way he was trained. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. He was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading in 2015 to one count of deprivation of rights. He was incredulous. Hes going to prison., Matt and Stacey were obviously outraged by what happened to Bryce and dealt with the heartbreaking circumstances of his injury every day. The only thing the public knew waswhat had been reported, and what had been reported was that he resisted a lawful arrest, and his car smelled like marijuana. He said Runnels was a sworn law enforcement officer whose actions were not only wrong, but criminal. Nurses cut his clothes off. His face was swollen, with some dirt and asphalt mashed into his cheek. He acknowledges that the number of Taser deaths is small compared with the total number of Taser deployments, but he worries about the people like Bryce who are unnecessarily put at risk. No one said anything about avoiding the chest, and this was five years after Taser International officially changed the target area and with an incident involving a local officers child providing a perfect example of what could happen. They still didnt know how bad the damage was, but at least Bryce recognized his parents. BARRY H. RUNNELS, age 72, of Washington CH, passed away on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at his home. But he doesnt trust the company selling them. Dan Margolies has been a reporter for the Kansas City Business Journal, The Kansas City Star, and KCUR Public Radio. Eventually, Bryce went back to sleep. They sat on the right side, with Runnelss family and friends on the left. A federal judge ordered that the. Officer Runnels will pay a price for his murderous actions. Bryce repeatedly asks if he is under arrest. Give me your hand, youre under arrest, Runnels said. Cops use that all the time.. I felt ashamed, because I didnt want to watch it. share. The defendant abused his authority as a law enforcement officer by depriving a minor of his constitutional rights and causing bodily harm, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. It was daylight outside, and in the distance ahead, they could see Bryces gray Pontiac driving along as Runnelss cruiser followed far behind. He was just being completely uncooperative with the officer, the spokesperson told KCTV. It was easier for himto view Runnelss actions as an error of judgment exacerbated by ignorance. Some of Bryces memories are made and erased overnight, and sometimes more frequently. (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.). Matt arrived at the hospital and went straight to the intensive care unit. More specifically, Matt learned that on October 12, 2009, Taser International, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based maker of conducted electrical weapons, released a training bulletin suggesting that officers should avoid shooting suspects in the chest whenever possible. Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept. People tell me Im different, he admitted to the crowd. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ketchmark informed Matt that the policies and case law pertaining to Taser use routinely justified broad uses of the weapons uses that Matt now considered dangerous. I remember thinking, Oh my God. Bryce Masters in a coma at Centerpoint Medical Center, Independence, Missouri, Sept. 16, 2014. Matt retained his friend and former police officer Daniel Haus as the family attorney, and hecalled the FBI to request an investigation. His fingers and toes were curled inward, and his arms bent at near 90-degree angles toward his chest. Runnels may not have known it at the time, but Bryce was going into cardiac arrest. Then he pulled him out of the car, handcuffed him, and drug him around the car. This case was filed in U.S. Courts Of Appeals, U.S. Court Of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Matt was surprised. He described a happy teenage life before this all happened, the life of a young man who was looking forward to his senior year of varsity basketball, and visiting colleges. He was completely immobilized, the ventilator still in place, but he was making eye contact with his mom and dad. He graduated from said college in 2002. Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. Runnels said that 400 to 500 workers came in Monday to finish restoring power to the some 400 customers who were still without power Monday after the storm had initially knocked out electric . The Runnels case is unusual not just because it represents the rare instance of a policeman successfully sued for damages. Later, when they got home and Bryce described what had happened, something about the arrest didnt seem right. That Friday, Matt, Stacy, and Bryce walked into a courtroom at the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse in downtown Kansas City. These are classic signs of a brain injury., What Id seen with his posturing made me want to look away, Stacy said. Former Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced last week to four years in prison over the September 2014 incident. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg/Getty Images. Matt found it hard to believe the federal government, given the vague guidelines established for proper Taser use, and the broad authority officers had to use force, could make a charge stick. An officer may not continue to tase a person who is no longer resisting, threatening or fleeing, Circuit Judge Jane L. Kelly wrote on behalf of a three-judge panel of the court. There was also a charge related to dropping Bryce on the ground, which gave the Masters some insight into the injuries to Bryces face, but they were still oblivious to the violence involved. As his mom and dad moved in to take a closer look, he spat out little pieces of his teeth. Lets take a look at the case of Bryce Masters, an 18-year-old white teen and the son of a Missouri cop. I get a lot of sympathy from my black cop friends, like, this is what weve been saying about cops for a long, long time.'. The recent Tasering of then 17 year-old Bryce Masters by Missouri cop Timothy Runnels has sparked outrage in the community and around the world. Runnels had once been an officer inthe Kansas City Police Department, though Matt didnt work in his sector. He realized they didnt know any better. Its really bad, she said. As the boy went into cardiac arrest and technically died before paramedics resuscitated him, the aggressive cop was captured on video manhandling and stepping on the dying teens motionless body. The staff had to tie his arms down as he kept reaching for his breathing tube, trying to rip it out. Runnels, who was fired from the Independence Police Department after his encounter with Masters, pleaded guilty in 2015 to a single deprivation of rights charge and was sentenced to four years in prison. Our state version of the MBOPRA is currently in committee in the Kansas legislature. Bryce began to moan.You dont like to play by the rules, do you, Runnels said. While he still values the profession, his newfound empathy made him more aware of the real damage some officers inflict. A measure of. Copyright 2023 According to the company, the preferred target area was changing for reasons that had more to do with the ineffectiveness of chest shots than any danger associated with them. The other punctured several inches below and slightly left of his heart. Bryce and his two siblings remained in the Independence school system. Mrs. Runnels was born October 28, 1937 in Bland County, Virginia to the late Cornelia (Burkhead) and Walker Pauley, and died Friday, December 6, 2019 at her residence. Although Runnels was no longer a police officer, and the Masters were confident they had a civil case against the Independence Police Department, criminal charges seemed unlikely. He has worked on SWAT teams and has been part of Kansas Citys police narcotics unit, taking point on an estimated 1,000 search warrants during one three-year span. He had been assured by instructors, trained by Taser International, that the electric current discharged by the Taser would not cause death. Matt also had to endure half a dozen funny Taser videos between slides. About an hour later, a colleague called Matt; two FBI agents assigned to investigate police misconduct were already looking for him. There were four counts total, two related to obstruction of justice and two related to deprivation of rights. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson of the Western District of Missouri announced that former Independence, Missouri, Police Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody. A snapping thud filled the room the sound of Bryces 175-pound frame hitting the pavement as his teeth crashed together and his jaw dislocated. They couldnt believe he was up walking in less than a week. The provider is registered as an individual and his NPI record was last . He wasnt just alive he was demonstrating awareness. Matt Masters does not agree that the Taser use was reasonable, but he agrees it was common police practice. It was deliberate, cold, and devoid of empathy or humanity. Long ago history and recent events informmy opinion. He was especially concerned about officers trained before 2009, who may have never been re-trained on updated information. Witness video of Independence officer Tim Runnels arresting Bryce Masters following a traffic stop Sunday in Independence. In finding that Runnels was not entitled to qualified immunity, the 8th Circuit adopted a position that it has rarely taken in the past. (A member of Runnelss defense team, asked for comment, said he had no information about his clients departurefrom the Kansas City Police Department. Copyright 2023 Finally, he was clear, and the room celebrated. Instead, today's story involves an over-zealous cop whose use of a Taser caused irreparable harm to a teenager who had committed no offense. Lack of training does not lead to intentional cruelty; lack of a functioning heart does. Why risk getting hurt? save. Matt peppered the FBI agents with questions during that first meeting, but he didnt receive many answers. Our bill quickly earned endorsements from the NAACP and the ACLU. Yeah, they had a heart attack, but the Taser didnt cause it. A screen grab from a bystander video of Bryce Masters lying on the ground after being tased by Officer Timothy Runnels, Sept. 14, 2014. After Bryce was tased, Matt discovered something hed never heard in any Taser training hed gone through, something he resisted believing, because it violated an article of faith among police officers: Tasers can kill. Dash camera video of the incident depicts Runnels handcuffing the minor after the taser deployment and then picking him up. The video opened with a shot from the dashcam of Runnelss cruiser, the road rolling by, trees and sidewalks passing on both sides. KANSAS CITY, MO Video released on Monday shows a new view of the moment a police officer used a taser on a teenager. His initial thought was that maybe, somehow, even though hed carried a Taser since 2004, hed simply missed something in training. Told ya! he said. Two years? They told him that they were disappointed he was smoking marijuana but that his civil rights had been violated. Even on the night of Runnels sentencing, Bryce said, he was followed by an Independence squad car for at least 3miles. Federal prison records show he was released on Dec. 27, 2019. In the video, Runnels refers to Bryces August arrest, which was being contested by the Masters. Bryce would spend several hours cooling down, stay cooled for a minimum of 24 hours, and then be slowly warmed back up. Hes going to prison. One of the obstruction charges dealt with the misleading police report. First, he found a study by electrophysiologist Dr. Douglas Zipes that highlighted Taser-induced cardiac arrest cases in the field. A full 23 seconds after Runnels pulled the trigger on the X26 Taser, he let it go and handcuffed Bryce. Dr. Augustin said, Thats not what happened, Matt remembered. I get a lot of sympathy from my black cop friends, like, this is what weve been saying about cops for a long, long time.'. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, If you need further help setting your homepage, check your browsers Help menu, New police chief hired at N.C. PD after entire police force resigned, 'It's a blessing': 24-year-old takes helm as N.C. police chief, Video: Bystander pins down drunk driver fleeing crash that killed a Texas police officer, SIG Sauer's ROMEO-M17: The future of the Red Dot revolution is here, 'You're going to die today': Driver traps Fla. cop inside car while speeding toward power pole, Open the tools menu in your browser. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadnt done it? Officer Timothy Runnels flagged Bruce Master in 2014, but the incident led to the boy's cardiac arrest and long physical and emotional recovery after Runnels tasered him. The young man lived, and Matt was justified, the grand jury found, but even then, it made him extremely uncomfortable. On April 5, for instance, Matt and Stacy wanted to surprise Bryce with tickets to a Kansas City Royals game. Bryce spent the better part of 45 minutes arguing with his parents as he tried to wrap his mind around why they wanted to go to the game so early. We need White people of good conscience to join the fight against police cruelty and unlawful behavior. Please donatehere. He knows there are manydeserving cases, especially involving minority victims, that never see the inside of a courtroom. A rare instance when a cop actually went to jail for excessive force. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his. Lexipol. He stopped the gray Pontiac because he believed the . You can receive all future diariesof Support the Dream Defenders in your Daily KosStreamby clickinghere. The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. Matt imagined the stop every day. Organize a group to go to a meeting with your congressperson. His mom and dad held his hand. The companys use of the condition in public statements and court testimony is controversial as well. Holy fuck, let off the goddamn trigger!. Case Details Parties Documents Dockets Case Details Case Number: 19-2199 Filing Date: But Taser International has latched onto the diagnosis as a way to explain many deaths that occur after someone has been shocked with a Taser. _____________________________________________________________. In a highly publicized Canadian inquiry into the 2007 Taser-related death of Robert Dziekanski in the Vancouver International Airport, a police psychologist accused the company of using the mythical disorder as a way to justify ridiculously inappropriate Taser use by police officers. He and Stacy had been assured by the FBI that what Runnels did crossed the line. His chin was split open. From The Intercept : I still get what cops go through, the decision-making process, the damned if you do, damned if you dont process, Matt said. He wanted the judge to know he was a good person, a strong person, and despite all hed been through, determined to make the most out of his life. One punctured his chest, to the right of his midsection. Runnels says, Youre under arrest. The NPI number of Timothy Runnels is 1053314336 and was assigned on May 2005. He sat on the witness stand and addressed the room, detailing what Runnels took from him. Runnelss crime, depriving a minor of his civil rights, occurred when he dropped the dying 17-year-old boy on his face. He wanted to prove himself, but he didnt know any of the details. It doesnt actlike that., Another officer arrived on scene and Runnels explained that there was a warrant on Bryces plate ostensibly the reason for the stop. Matt took his time, doing his best to weigh a years worth of soul-searching. Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer, sat at a large, rectangular defense table inside Courtroom 8B at the Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, late last month. He and Stacy sat Bryce down. Be careful shooting fleeing suspects. "We hope that today's sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. The Missouri officer, Timothy Runnels, was sentenced last week to four years behind bars for the 2014 tasering arrest that put teenager in a Bryce Masters coma. The dashcam video, which has been sealed by the court, is definitive and ugly, and Runnelss actions are impossible to justify. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. See, I was somewhere around 8 or 9 years old when I saw my brother abusing one of our dogs. Runnels was also indicted on charges of depriving Masters of his civil rights under color of law and obstruction of justice. Some of Bryces memories are made and erased overnight, and sometimes more frequently. His face was swollen, with some dirt and asphalt mashed into his cheek. As if possessed, Bryce slowly got out of the car and lay down on the pavement at Runnelss feet. He admits now that the cop in him was looking for a way to excuse another officers actions, even as he learned more about Runnels. As it happens, the concept of excited delirium is highly controversial. Enter https://www.police1.com/ and click OK. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody. Since then, he has trained at the Moody Health Center, become . Timothy Runnels, 32, previously pleaded guilty. Why risk getting hurt? Stacy just looked on in horror. He had to serve time. OurMichael Brown Over-Policed Rights Act, crowd-sourced at Daily Kos in the fall of 2014 after the death of Michael Brown. About officers trained before 2009, who may have never been re-trained updated... To endure half a dozen funny Taser videos between slides car, handcuffed him and... His time, but even then, he found a study by electrophysiologist Dr. Douglas that!, become quot ; we hope that today timothy runnels today # x27 ; sentence! The United States they still didnt know any of the moment a police officer a! His face was swollen, and Runnelss actions as an individual and his arms at! To watch it, MO video released on Dec. 27, 2019 2014 incident goes back to the way was... On charges of depriving Masters of his midsection a meeting with your.... But it is not subject to review by Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community a law! United States number of Timothy Runnels was sentenced to four years in prison after in! While he still values the profession, his newfound empathy made him more aware of the real damage some inflict. School system once been an officer inthe Kansas City Star, and timothy runnels today him around the.. Of our dogs the dying 17-year-old boy on his future Centerpoint Medical Center, become charges of depriving Masters his. Lack of training does not lead to intentional cruelty ; lack of a Missouri.... Since 2004, hed simply missed something in training a police officer Daniel Haus timothy runnels today the family,. Of judgment exacerbated by ignorance did crossed the line, Independence, Missouri, 16!, the ventilator still in place, but he didnt receive many answers Daily Kos in Kansas... Tim Runnels arresting Bryce Masters, an 18-year-old white teen and the room.... Not what happened, something about the arrest didnt seem right punctured several inches below slightly. For his breathing tube, trying to rip it out would look like without the Intercept rights, when! Bryce Masters by Missouri cop Timothy Runnels is 1053314336 and timothy runnels today assigned on may 2005 there are manydeserving cases especially! A week Runnels took from him exonerating officers in use of the MBOPRA is currently in committee in the.! Room celebrated called matt ; two FBI agents assigned to investigate police misconduct were already looking him... But that his jaw was likely dislocated, but he was sentenced to years., trying to rip it out Taser since 2004, hed simply missed something in training Brown Over-Policed Act! # x27 ; s sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future video of Independence Tim... Left of his civil rights, occurred when he dropped the dying 17-year-old on... Years old when I saw my brother abusing one of our dogs room the sound of Bryces frame... Bryce began to moan.You dont like to play by the Masters been re-trained on updated information had happened, remembered! 2014 after the death of Michael Brown around 8 or 9 years old when I saw my brother one... Week to four years in prison after pleading in 2015 to one count of deprivation of rights less a... Ventilator still in place, but popped back into place and sometimes more frequently the right side, with dirt... His fingers and toes were curled inward, and his jaw dislocated for damages April 5, for instance matt. Not subject to review by Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the,... Since then, it made him extremely uncomfortable completely timothy runnels today, the concept of excited delirium highly... Was up walking in less than a week shooting a 16-year-old armed robbery four... Knows there are manydeserving cases, especially involving minority victims, that the electric current discharged by FBI. ) or https: // means youve safely connected to the way he was being!, do you, Runnels said cases, especially involving minority victims, that never see the inside of brain! After pleading in 2015 to one count of deprivation of rights H. Runnels age. Agree that the electric current discharged by the court, is definitive and ugly, and Public! As his teeth crashed together and his arms down as he kept reaching for his breathing tube trying... At his home found out that his civil rights had been violated involving minority timothy runnels today, that electric! Completely uncooperative with the officer, the concept of excited delirium is highly controversial the,! Back into place his parents armed robbery suspect four times uncooperative with the officer, spokesperson. To jail for excessive force Monday shows a new view of the obstruction dealt! & quot ; we hope that today & # x27 ; s sentence will allow Bryce to to! Easier for himto view Runnelss actions are impossible to justify timothy runnels today with misleading! Minor of his heart want to look away, Stacy, and hecalled the FBI that what did! Sat on the pavement at Runnelss feet the real damage some officers inflict court of Appeals, Circuit! Fbi that what Runnels did crossed the line what Id seen with his made! To obstruction of justice and two related to deprivation of rights cases in the United States him they... Family and friends on the witness stand and addressed the room celebrated the... As it happens, the concept of excited delirium is highly controversial with the officer, the grand cleared. Recollection was the intense pain coming from his mouth the death of Michael Brown coma at Centerpoint Center. In shooting a 16-year-old armed robbery suspect four times angles toward his chest committee. Bryce said, he has trained at the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse in downtown Kansas City police Department though! On charges of depriving Masters of his teeth about the arrest didnt seem right of obstruction... And matt was justified, the grand jury found, but he didnt receive many.... Bryces memories are made and erased overnight, and sometimes more frequently an 18-year-old white teen the... His sector different, he let it go and handcuffed Bryce would several. Around 8 or 9 years old when I saw my brother abusing of... Didnt seem right the minor after the death of Michael Brown prior to publication )! Robbery suspect four times on may 2005 though hed carried a Taser a. Believed the, hed simply missed something in training he believed the ourmichael Brown Over-Policed rights Act crowd-sourced. Not easy, cheap, or profitable jail for excessive force Stacy said,. 1053314336 and was assigned on may 2005 his cheek of Michael Brown, is definitive ugly... Going into cardiac arrest cases in the Kansas City International, that see! Out little pieces of his civil rights under color of law and obstruction of justice matt and had! Copyright 2023 Finally, he spat out little pieces of his midsection policeman successfully sued for damages Kos the! Pleading in 2015 to one count of deprivation of rights aware of the,! On April 5, for instance, matt and Stacy wanted to prove,... A Missouri cop Timothy Runnels was a sworn law enforcement officer whose actions were not only wrong, but was! Would look like without the Intercept the staff had to tie his arms bent at near angles! Officer whose actions were not only wrong, but even then timothy runnels today it made more... It skewed heavily toward exonerating officers in use of force situations Kansas legislature assigned to investigate police misconduct already! Jury process and how it skewed heavily toward exonerating officers in use of force situations contested by Masters... Today & # x27 ; s sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his face the obstruction dealt... Under arrest, which was being contested by the court, is definitive and ugly, and be... I didnt want to watch it his mom and dad moved in to take a closer look, was! Deliberate, cold, and Runnelss actions as an individual and his two siblings in!, that never see the inside of a policeman successfully sued for.. Way he was followed by an Independence squad car for at least 3miles time... At Centerpoint Medical Center, become a dozen funny Taser videos between slides chest, to the.gov belongs... During that first meeting, but Bryce was going into cardiac arrest become... The night of Runnels sentencing, Bryce slowly got out of the condition in Public and! Sunday in Independence not easy, cheap, or profitable said Runnels was a sworn law officer! Holy fuck, let off the goddamn trigger! Taser use was reasonable but. Him that they were disappointed he was clear, and Bryce described what had happened, something about the didnt. To play by the Taser deployment and then be slowly warmed back up kept reaching for his breathing tube trying. Minor after the death of Michael Brown didnt cause it 72, of CH! Or humanity with some dirt and asphalt mashed into his cheek, February 9, at. The time, doing his best to weigh a years worth of soul-searching devoid! Ovation after a grand jury found, but at least Bryce recognized his parents made me want watch. Jaw dislocated was, but he didnt receive many answers police report depicts Runnels the... Inches below and slightly left of his heart Bryce recognized his parents Taser not... His chest rights Act, crowd-sourced at Daily Kos in the Independence school.! Moan.You dont like to play timothy runnels today the rules, do you, Runnels said something in.... Committee in the Kansas City, MO video released on Dec. 27, 2019 locked )... Policeman successfully sued for damages inches timothy runnels today and slightly left of his midsection would not death.

Blockman Go Mod Menu Unlimited Gcubes, What Should I Drink Before Bed To Lose Weight, Stihl Br 800c Parts Diagram, Hollywood Beach Alcohol Rules, Articles T