A teenager from a Kansas City suburb has been placed in a medically induced coma after being seriously injured by a police stun gun, and now the FBI will look into the situation to determine if excessive force was used.
According to the Associated Press, 17-year-old Bryce Masters of Independence, Mo. was pulled over on Sunday because there was an outstanding warrant associated with the license plate on the car he was driving. Masters was allegedly "uncooperative" during the stop, refusing to do as Officer Tim Runnels instructed and exit the vehicle. That's when Runnels deployed the stun gun:
The confrontation continued outside the car, with both Masters and Runnels falling to the ground. The teen then suffered a "medical emergency" and needed resuscitation, which prompted a call for an ambulance, police said.
Masters' family on Tuesday said the probes from the stun gun struck him about 6 inches apart "in close proximity to his heart."
The teen was put in a medically induced coma, the family said, and efforts began Monday night to bring him out of it. The family said it is guardedly optimistic, though it's too early to know the long-term effect of his injuries.
The shock of the stun gun caused Masters' heart to stop, and he's currently receiving treatment for lack of oxygen to the brain. His family has contacted the FBI office located in Kansas City, and released a statement requesting a probe by the Department of Justice due to "significant inconsistencies between public statements made by the Independence Police Department and information made available to the family in the form of statements of eyewitnesses and video and audio footage of the occurrence."
Masters' father is a Kansas City police officer, but a spokesperson for the FBI insists that isn't a motivating factor in the investigation. The Associated Press adds that Runnels remains on administrative leave while the investigation is conducted.
[via The Associated Press]
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