Man Dies After St. Louis Cop Shocks Him With Taser

A man who was shocked at least twice with a Taser by a St. Louis police officer died within hours, police said Friday.

The man died after police were called Thursday night to a report that he was being violent toward emergency medical workers. Police said arriving officers found the man naked and disoriented behind a home.

When officers ordered the man to come toward them, he tripped and fell into a fence, police said. Two of the five officers who were there picked him up and tried to handcuff him, but he slipped away and fell again, according to police.

Police said an officer then used a Taser to subdue the man. Other officers tried to handcuff him, but he continued to struggle, police said.

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The same officer then applied what's known as a “drive stun,” which involves placing the Taser directly on the skin, police said.

The man became unresponsive. He died early Friday at a hospital. His name has not been released.

The department's Force Investigation Unit is investigating.