Taser ‘Could Have Saved Life’ of Iraq War Vet Shot by Police

Taser ‘Could Have Saved Life’ of Iraq War Vet Shot by Police
India West
Sunita Sohrabji
Posted: Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Mourners stood beside the casket of Indian American Iraq war veteran
Parminder Shergill, who was killed in January by Lodi, Calif., police.
(Preston Merchant photo)

Lodi, Calif., police involved in the Jan. 25 fatal shooting of Parminder Shergill, an Indian American Iraq war veteran, were not equipped with Tasers, according to Lodi Police Chief Mark Helms.

At the time of the shooting, the Lodi Police Department had only a handful of Tasers – guns that shoot darts to temporarily immobilize a person – Helms told India-West, adding that not all officers on the force were equipped with the weapon. Cpl. Scott Bratton, who killed Shergill after firing 12 shots to his chest and head, was not equipped with a Taser. Officer Adam Lockie, also involved in the tragic incident, did not have a Taser.

Manufacturers of the implement note that Taser deployments have saved more than 75,000 lives; injuries to a suspect are reduced by 60 percent. Police officers are less likely to use a lethal weapon once a Taser is deployed. Helms said that all officers of the Lodi Police Department are now equipped with Tasers.
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