Sunday, January 20, 2008

Man dies after being shot by Taser in domestic dispute


Police have confirmed the death of a man who was shot by a Taser following a domestic dispute yesterday.

A spokeswoman for Bedfordshire police said the man, in his 30s, died in hospital after the stun gun was deployed at a residential address in The Spinney, Goldington.

She said officers had been called to investigate reports of a domestic dispute involving a mother and son.

On arrival at about 19:00 GMT on Saturday, they found a man, who was already suffering unspecified injuries, wielding a knife.

He threatened the Bedfordshire police officers and a Taser was discharged, the force said.

The man subsequently retreated into the house and when located by officers was found to be "in need of urgent medical attention".

He died at Bedford hospital later on Saturday night.

The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which will decide whether to launch an investigation into the incident.

The deceased man is not expected to be named until an inquest into his death is opened later this week, while a post-mortem is due to be carried out tomorrow.