Indiana man dies after being Tased
GREENFIELD IN May 14 2017 — An Indianapolis man has died after he was tased Friday night by police in Greenfield, according to the Indiana State Police.
Sgt. Rodney Vawter and Officer Dillon Silver with the Greenfield Police Department responded to a call at about 6:30 p.m. about an intoxicated man lying in the grass near the 800 block of South State Street found Douglas A. Wiggington, according to releases from Indiana State Police and Greenfield police.
When Wiggington became combative, according to State Police, the Greenfield officers shot him with a taser.
“When police arrived, he was belligerent towards them, uncooperative for the most part,” said Sgt. Trent Smith, the public information officer with the Indiana State Police’s Indianapolis post.
Police soon saw that Wiggington was experiencing medical issues, so they gave him Narcan and began CPR, the release stated. Wiggington, 48, died after medical personnel took him to Hancock Regional Hospital, according to the release.
Smith did not provide details or say whether officers noticed if Wiggington was in medical distress before he was shot with the taser. Smith said the incident is still being investigated by State Police.
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“I can tell you that officers are trained to try to recognize as best as possible the condition of the individual, before they use any kind of, obviously, weapon or taser or major stuff like that,” Smith said.
The officers who were involved are Sgt. Rodney Vawter, an 11-year member of the Greenfield Police Department, and Officer Dillon Silver, who has served in the department for two years, according to Greenfield Police Chief Jeff Rasche.
Even though Greenfield Police asked the State Police to investigate Wiggington’s death, they will also be conducting their own “thorough internal investigation of this incident,” Rasche said in a new release.
Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Rasche said.
Rasche also included a statement addressed to the victim’s family.
“The Greenfield Police Department would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Wiggington during this difficult time,” it said.
An autopsy will be held Sunday to determine the cause of death, Smith said.
IndyStar
