The family of North Carolina wrongful death victim, Darryl Turner, was awarded $10 million after a jury found that there was a great risk of cardiac arrest if a taser was discharged into the chest area near the heart, that Taser International knew of the risk, and that Taser International failed to so warn its users.
In March, 2008, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police were summoned to the Food Lion where Turner was working in order to remove Turner from the premises. Turner, who hadn't actually been charged with a crime, had thrown something at his employer, and was in possession of 3 bags of marijuana. Due to his "agitated" state, Turner was ultimately tased by the police. An autopsy found no evidence or pre-existing heart conditions, and that Turner died as the result of his excessive and irregular heart beat.
Turner's family had already been paid $625,000 by the City of Charlotte, even though it denied it had done anything wrong, prior to the verdict. Following Turner's death, all CMPD officers had to receive more training with the use of Tasers.
