THE US government has launched an investigation into the 184 deaths that have occurred following police use of stun weapons like the Taser.
The National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the Department of Justice, will initially focus on 30 deaths and provide a full medical assessment of each. Amnesty International, which has consistently pressed for a moratorium on the use of stun weapons while their safety is assessed, welcomed the move. 鈥淧eople are dying needlessly. It鈥檚 important that the federal government is now taking this seriously,鈥� an Amnesty spokesperson said.
Taser International, which makes the Taser, is facing 49 lawsuits for wrongful death or injury, but 20 other such lawsuits against the company have already been dismissed by US courts.
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