Tasered

N.C. family sues Taser after teen killed

Mar. 17, 2010 07:42 AM
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Scottsdale-based company that makes the electronic stun gun known as a Taser is being sued by the family of a North Carolina teen killed after he was shocked with one of the guns.

The Charlotte Observer reported the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court and doesn't list a specific monetary amount. The lawsuit says Taser International didn't warn its customers that the weapon could be lethal if deployed near the chest.

Seventeen-year-old Darryl Wayne Turner died of cardiac arrest in March 2008 after a confrontation with police at a grocery store where Turner had worked. The city of Charlotte paid $625,000 to Turner's family last August, although the city didn't admit wrongdoing.

Taser International did not immediately return a phone message left early Wednesday seeking comment.