Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Wheelchair bound women tasered

By Jackelyn Barnard First Coast News

GREEN COVE SPRINGS, FL -- Officers involved in tasing a 56-year-old wheelchair-bound woman have been cleared in the case, but the family of Emily Delafield says it is not done with its investigation.

Delafield died about 90 minutes after being tased by Green Cove Springs Police Department officers in April 2006.

Audio recordings of that fateful night have just been released.

Delafield called police asking for help because she said her sister was trying to harm her.

"Where is your sister now?" asks the 911 operator. Delafield answers, "In the house."

The operator then asks her where she is. Delafield answered she was in the middle of the road in her wheelchair.

Delafield, a schizophrenic, sounds calm at first on the audio tape.

Police say when they got to her, she was armed with two knives and a hammer.

Police say the wheelchair-bound woman was threatening to hurt herself and others.

Delafield is heard on the tape saying, "You better get back."

Police debated what to do and then used their tasers. In the audio recording, you can hear Delafield screaming.

"My aunt was basically tortured like an animal or something," Delafield's nephew, Ryan Delafield, told First Coast News months ago.

Snip

Lets see, metal wheelchair, 50,000 volts of electricity, good call flatfoot! Of course the overzelous officers were cleared of any wrong doing. Nothing to see here move along, move along.

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