Timothy Runnels was sentenced to four years behind bars for the 2014 . A federal judge ordered that the. The Masters didnt worry much about Bryce in high school. Matt had been there before, a guy laughing in the room at the helpless contortions of Taser victims. Bryce tried to appreciate the moment, but he wasnt nave. Matt was surprised. But the wounds Bryce suffered from that part of the assault have largely healed. While the number of people killed in Taser-related police interactions is in dispute and its unclear what role the Taser played in a number of these deaths Amnesty International has put the figure at more than 500. Officer Timothy Runnels was waiting to learn his fate after pleading guilty to a federal crime he committed almost two years ago, on September 14, 2014. Police said Morgan was belligerent and fired first, while Morgan said police started firing as soon as they saw his gun, and denied firing a shot, the report notes. He knows there are manydeserving cases, especially involving minority victims, that never see the inside of a courtroom. KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling. In a rare instance of a court denying qualified immunity to a government official, the 8th U.S. Both blood and mucus had crusted around Bryces nose. The Runnels case is unusual not just because it represents the rare instance of a policeman successfully sued for damages. Id never heard of excited delirium until Taser International came along.. OurMichael Brown Over-Policed Rights Act, crowd-sourced at Daily Kos in the fall of 2014 after the death of Michael Brown. If Runnels was trained when he was hired in 2007, unless he was adequately re-certified with updated information about the risks of cardiac arrest, it was likely he and Matt had the same false understanding of the weapon they both carried. While the majority of law enforcement safeguards our communities with fidelity, the department will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute officers who violate their oath by using excessive force., This former police officer was trained and entrusted to enforce the law impartially, said U.S. Attorney Dickinson. See, I was somewhere around 8 or 9 years old when I saw my brother abusing one of our dogs. TheDream Defendersdefend the Dream of Martin Luther King Jr. by "develop[ing]the next generation of radical leaders to realize and exercise our independent collective power; building alternative systems and organizing to disrupt the structures that oppress our communities." He told them a plea agreement had been finalized. 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. While we are pleased that Mr. Runnels was held accountable for his actions, no one really wins in this scenario. After excessively tazing a fellow cops underage son during a traffic stop and slamming the handcuffed teen face-first onto the street, an overzealous officer was recently sentenced to four years in prison for violating the minors civil rights. As Fox 4 Kansas City reported, Masters nearly died after he lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest. Stacy had no idea why his body was so contorted. He can recall family and friends coming in to offer their support, standing around his bed. Although the minor suffered cardiac arrest and facial injuries, he survived the incident due to timely medical treatment by medical personnel at the scene and at the hospital. He would get terrible headaches, he had trouble sleeping problems that persist. Runnels walked toward the passenger side door. Bryces friend Curtis called Matt at about 3 p.m. that Sunday to let Matt know that Bryce had been stopped by the police outside his house, and that the officer looked like he was trying to get Bryce out of the car. Although sentencing guidelines called for a term of eight to 10 years, prosecutors recommended a sentence of no more than four years as part of the plea agreement. Today the video, which had never been played in any public setting, would be played in open court. The permanent injury he struggles with every day came as a result of the Taser. Runnels was also indicted on charges of depriving Masters of his civil rights under color of law and obstruction of justice. Eventually, they asked him how Bryce was doing. _____________________________________________________________. When the grand jury returned an indictment against Runnels on March 26, 2015, the Masters finally got a bit more information about what happened on September 14. Bryce was given simple tasks, things kindergartners could do, as he put it. Its sickening to me to listen to Taser even speak, Matt continues. At the age of 12, Ali discovered his talent for boxing through an odd twist of fate. Runnels faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for his conviction for violating the minor's civil rights. Whenever you see these officers come out with a use of force, whether it be a shooting or a tasering or a whatever, there are phrases that always go in those reports, that weve been trained to put in there, Matt said. A measure of. Now, he thought about his son. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark argued that the length of time that Runnels held down the Tasers trigger was an aggravating factor. As he looked Bryce over, Matt casually floated his positional asphyxia theory. 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. He had been assured by instructors, trained by Taser International, that the electric current discharged by the Taser would not cause death. And I am., After almost 20 years as a cop, it had become easy for Matt to split the world into good guys and bad guys. All rights reserved. Toward the end of Runnels sentencing hearing on May 26, Bryce stepped to the front of the courtroom to give his victim impact statement. After excessively tazing a fellow cops underage son during a traffic stop and slamming the handcuffed teen face-first onto the street, an overzealous officer was recently sentenced to four years in prison for violating the minors civil rights. Former Deputy Chief James Tolberttestifiedthat Sanford drew the crime scene of the home for him on a blank piece of paper during his investigation, and the picture included the locations where the bodies were found. Hes going to prison. A twenty-three second jolt of 50,000 watts ended his life for a short time resulting in irreparable brain damage. The judge read the count, and Runnels sat on the stand facing the crowd as he accepted the plea. Timothy Runnels was arraigned Friday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, on two counts apiece of deprivation of civil rights and of obstruction of justice in connection with the Sept. 14 confrontation with 17-year-old Bryce Masters of Independence, a Kansas City suburb where Runnels worked. Matt had heard that people sometimes died after a Taser shock, but chalked it up to a syndrome called excited delirium, which hed learned about in his Taser training. Then and only then well see an end to this crap. The hearing lasted no more than 30minutes. It just may be too late. Request a quote for the most accurate & reliable non-lethal training, DragonEye Tech: Leaders in LIDAR Speed Measurement, The teenage driver went into cardiac arrest after the officer used and ECD on him when he refused to comply. His face was swollen, and they later found out that his jaw was likely dislocated, but popped back into place. The outage impacted approximately 2,000 utility customers on U.S. 61, said Tim Runnels, a spokesperson for Entergy. The Independence Police Department was hardest on him. He and Stacy sat Bryce down. While most of the 15-minute session was spent on updated legal information, and situations in which Taser use was not advised, there was no mention of potential cardiac risks. The Independence Police Department did not respond to a request for comment. The video opened with a shot from the dashcam of Runnelss cruiser, the road rolling by, trees and sidewalks passing on both sides. 735. His fingers and toes were curled inward, and his arms bent at near 90-degree angles toward his chest. He hadnt seen most of them for a while, so they all made small talk. Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept. I dont think Ill ever, ever be able to forget that., As hard as it was to watch, Bryce felt vindicated. Timothy Runnels is a provider established in Spring, Texas and his medical specialization is Chiropractor. 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. They sat on the right side, with Runnelss family and friends on the left. 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. Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. He screamed at Stacy. 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. If he did wake up, there was a good chance he would never recover beyond a vegetative state. Bryce dealt with the perception that he was somehow to blame on a daily basis. Evidence at the hearing revealed that as a result of the tasing, the minor went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. Get your ass out of the car, he said. Then, to Runnels: Hes turning blue., Watching the video, Stacy was astounded. We are rapidly approaching the signature collection phase of our campaign to get the Over-Policed Rights Act on the California ballot. Select this result to view Timothy Glynn Runnels's phone number, address, and more. I remember thinking, Oh my God. This time, he didnt reconsider. Matt headed to jail and posted Bryces bail. Timothy Runnels, 32, previously pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of 17-year-old Bryce Masters. . He was fired from the Independence Police Department after the. Matt and Stacy would check on him as he slept, just to make sure he was still breathing. It goes back to the way he was trained. Of all those involved in this case, I was most interested in the reaction of Bryces dad who is himself a cop. 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 done exactly what his parents told him to do. The neurologist calmly explained that 15 is the best score, indicating a patient is fully aware and awake. Runnels faced a dire sentence that day up to 10 years in federal prison. The FBI arrived within the hour. 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