At the time of their son’s death, the family believed the of officer involved in the incident actually rammed their son with his cruiser,

Yeah! He done rammed him! Ran him down! Rammed him with his cruiser! Dats what happened.

No? He was tased?

Yeah! He done tased my boy! Tased him! Tased him with his taser! Dats what happened!

Now gimme my $50 million and I'll feel better.

Flanked by Damon’s mom and dad, Fieger said the person solely responsible for the young teen’s death is the trooper.

And all along I thought the young teen was responsible because he disobeyed the cop and refused to get off the roadway.

"“He was getting good grades, he wasn’t out here doing anything wrong"

I changed my mind. It was the parent's fault because apparently they told their son that it was okay to drive an ATV on the road.

"The troopers activated their emergency lights and siren, but the ATV driver refused to stop. The troopers pursued the ATV east on Rossini, and as the ATV approached Gratiot Avenue, the driver attempted to drive off the roadway onto the sidewalk, but crashed into the rear of a pickup truck."

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office said Grimes died from blunt head trauma. (No helmet, I guess.)

"Since Grimes died as a result of the officer’s actions ..."

Whoa! Did the taser even hit the kid? Do we know? Or should we just assume it did and get all riled up before the investigation is complete?

Yeah! He done tased my boy! Tased him! Tased him with his taser! Dats what happened!

Now gimme my $50 million and I'll feel better.

Bessner was apparently trying to get the teen to get off of the roadway and thought it would be a good idea to deploy his taser from one moving vehicle to another (ATV).

I hope they win the suit.

This cop is a danger to society.

I'd call you a racist, but you don't care what color the citizens are that police indiscriminately kill.

Bessner was apparently trying to get the teen to get off of the roadway and thought it would be a good idea to deploy his taser from one moving vehicle to another (ATV).

Pretty good shot, huh? A taser from one moving vehicle to another, hitting a small target.

Oh, wait! Did he hit him with the taser? Do we know? Or are you just assuming that?

I'd call you a racist, but you don't care what color the citizens are that police indiscriminately kill.

We know they only kill blacks.

The trooper probably should have just run him off the road and arrested him, after the inevitable crash or when he got home.

Michigan statutes
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT
Act 451 of 1994

The cop should sue the kid's family. And their other children need to be picked up by children's services before they end up dead too.

BTW, the photo shows the yout' on the ATV with no helmet. Maybe it isn't so surprising he ended up dead when he plowed into something like a pickup. I think his estate should sue his parents for inadequate supervision.

I mean, I could have written your post.

But ya didn't, did ya?     : )

I know rural areas where you see kids from 8-12 driving ATVs and pickups on county roads all the time. But that is not in a city. The local deputy and sheriff look the other way unless they start to get wild. Their parents supervise this pretty closely until they get a school permit at age 14, I think.

And any town is a lot different than some scarcely traveled rural dirt roads. This town, Warren, is the third largest in Michigan and is Detroit's biggest suburb with a population of 134K. So this is not some dusty little village by any means.

1. Was ATV was licensed, or could it even be licensed, for street use?
2. Prior to the crash, what had the yout' been doing?
3. Was he on the streets the whole time?
4. Was he speeding or driving dangerously?
5. Had he come close to hitting a dog or cat or child during his high-speed lark?
6. If the police were responding as a result of complaints, how many were received and for what exactly?
7. Did he (or his buddies or the ATV's owner) have a record of unsafe driving
8. Was there a record of complaints from the neighborhood about their illegal and possibly dangerous driving?
9. Why is no one finding fault with these negligent parents who let him ride that ATV with no fucking helmet. Hey, Sambo Knieval did die of severe head trauma by trying to eat the tailgate of some parked pickup.
10. What about the damage caused to that pickup? Are these parents going to reimburse the owner of that pickup for the considerable damage done to the pickup?

Well, now you've got me wanting to know The Rest Of The Story. My weakness.

Accident and crime reporting in this country is really lousy. You never just get the whole story in one big gulp.

Accident and crime reporting in this country is really lousy. You never just get the whole story in one big gulp.

You get the story they want to tell.

Way back when, the stories would never show sympathy for the wrongdoer. This story would have been written such that any father could show it to his son and say, "See what can happen when you don't obey the law and try to run from the police?"

Now the message is, "See how this family can make $50 million?" As though the kid was just walking down the sidewalk, minding his own business, when The Michgan State Police came along and caused his death. Sickening.

But he may have missed and the kid crashed because his ATV hit the curb and he lost control. If that's the case, then the cops walk and the parents deserve zilch.

Good questions, but it seems the main issue is that the cop used a taser from a moving vehicle. My question is, "Did that cause the crash?" If so, I think the cop is screwed.

It depends. Is the use of firearms and tasers against the law or is it just contrary to department policy?

He might be disciplined for violating department policy but that wouldn't be a criminal proceeding at all.

We need to know the law and the circumstances of the kid's joyride better.

I don't see anything in the article that says it is illegal for a cop to shoot a gun or a taser from a moving vehicle. What if you had some jerk driving around in a big truck with run-flat tires (that couldn't be easily disabled or run off the road) with a handgun just blasting away at pedestrians or other drivers? Local cops couldn't just shoot him because it is contrary to policy? I think not.

I think the cop violated policy, not the law. At least, that's my impression. Again, the article leaves a lot of gray space.

Is the use of firearms and tasers against the law or is it just contrary to department policy?

You've seen what tasers do. Tasing someone on a bicycle, motorcycle, ATV or through the window of a car is bound to have disasterous effects. I mean, that's a no-brainer.

Supposedly a taser was used, but did it hit the teen? That's my question.

Flanked by Damon’s mom and dad, Fieger said the person solely responsible for the young teen’s death is the trooper.

Uhhhhh,no. If the boy hadn't been knowingly illegally riding the atv on the highway and creating a dangerous situation for everybody else driving that day,none of this wouldn't have happened.

Should the cop be brought up on felony stupid Manslaughter charges? You bet your ass! Actual prison time in a REAL prison,and nothing less.

Damon’s sister Dezanique Grimes described her late brother as, “an awesome kid, a gentleman, a sweetheart, a lovely young man.” She said, “He was getting good grades,

Uhhh,he was a "rising freshman at age 15" AND getting good grades? Maybe that was because it was the 2nd or 3rd time he was taking the same classes,and state law would only accept his death as an excuse to not pass him?

...he wasn’t out here doing anything wrong –

Well,yeah,he was. He was a moving traffic hazard,and a danger to everyone on the highway. He was also breaking the at leastt 3 laws. No drivers license,no license plates,and driving a vehicle that couldn't maintain the minimum speed.

but what all teenagers have been doing lately – riding those two wheelers or four wheelers. It’s not fair, he’s only 15 and now his life is gone over a bike.”

And HE shares the blame for that,along with the cop.

And all along I thought the young teen was responsible because he disobeyed the cop and refused to get off the roadway.

He was responsible for all that and more,but HE was NOT responsible for that lunatic cop tazing him.

The cop has to bear the weight for that.

So it seems the yout' was violating many laws and his parents obviously were not supervising him properly.

More than that. ATV's are expensive,and 15 year olds can't afford to buy them. It's not even legal for a 15 year old to buy one even if he has the money.

Then they failed to supervise him properly,making THEM complicit in his death.

It depends. Is the use of firearms and tasers against the law or is it just contrary to department policy?

How can it NOT be against the law to taze someone unless you are using it to protect yourself or someone else from imminent danger?

How can it NOT be against the law to taze someone unless you are using it to protect yourself or someone else from imminent danger?

It is either against the law or it isn't.

I don't think it is.

A PD or state patrol may set policy. That is different than the legislature enacting criminal laws on the same subject.

There are so many things that can happen in real life that legislatures tend to stay away from micromanaging police decisions in a fluid enforcement situation.

PD policy may be no use of firearms or tasers from a moving vehicle but that doesn't mean there is a law that forbids it. Because you can always have circumstances on the street that legislators can't anticipate and where you have to give the officer some benefit of the doubt in using his own judgment. The legislators know this.

Stories change, don't they? And when they do, and I point it out, I'm a sack of shit, huh?

Why don't you stay away from the board until you have something to add?

We need to know the law and the circumstances of the kid's joyride better. ... I think the cop violated policy, not the law.

I do not see enough to form a firm opinion about what happened. It appears the cop fired he taser out the open passenger-side window. Whether he hit anything is not clear. The kid could have avoided the taser but, in doing so, drove into the back of a truck.

As far as I can determine, the death has been ruled an accident.

My best guess is that shooting a taser at someone operating a moving vehicle, in the absence of extreme exigent circumstance, would be reckless, and a resultant death likely to be manslaughter, unless justified. Did the yute's driving pose an imminent danger to others?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/08/29/michigan-state-trooper-taser-teen-death/611177001/

Detroit police investigate use of Taser on boy, 15, who was riding ATV

USA Today Network
Robert Allen and Ann Zaniewski,

Detroit Free Press Published 7:41 a.m. ET Aug. 29, 2017

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2017/08/28/trooper-taser-teen-death-detroit/608105001/

State trooper's Tasing of boy, 15, focus of probe in Detroit

Robert Allen and Ann Zaniewski, Detroit Free Press
Published 12:12 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2017
Updated 9:10 a.m. ET Aug. 30, 2017

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/michigan/articles/2017-08-31/vigil-for-teen-killed-while-fleeing-police-turns-to-protest

Lawyer Defends Trooper Who Used Taser on Teen Who Died

A lawyer says a Michigan trooper who fired his Taser at a teenager before the 15-year-old crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died had to make a 'split-second decision'.

Aug. 31, 2017, at 6:46 p.m.

[excerpt]

[Richard Convertino, an attorney for Trooper Mark Bessner] released a statement Wednesday, saying the teen was evading arrest while driving recklessly in an urban area.

"Trooper Bessner was forced to make a split-second decision under circumstances on the scene and at the moment, which was tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving," Convertino said. "We are fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation and trust the investigators will assess the facts objectively in light of the totality of the circumstances."

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/detroit/death-of-tasered-teen-who-crashed-atv-ruled-accident/469096259

Death of Tasered teen who crashed ATV ruled accident

Ann Zaniewski, Detroit Free Press,
WZZM 10:02 PM. EDT August 29, 2017

DETROIT, MICH. - The manner of death of a 15-year-old who was Tasered by a Michigan State Police trooper and crashed the ATV he was driving has been ruled an accident, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office.

Damon Grimes of Detroit died from blunt force trauma to the head, said Lisa Croff, a spokeswoman for the office.

Both the Michigan State Police and the Detroit Police Department are investigating the incident, which happened Saturday on Detroit's east side.

"If something changes, if an investigation requires something to be opened up, things can be opened up," Croff said. "The (medical examiner's office) only looks at whether something was purposely done. As far as the medical exam right now, it looks to be an accident."

According to state police, the trooper was said to be trying to stop Damon for recklessly driving the four-wheeled, all-terrain vehicle at about 5:30 p.m. State Police 1st Lt. Mike Shaw said it appears the trooper used the Taser on the boy from a patrol vehicle with the window rolled down.

Shaw said it is a violation of policy for an officer to deploy a Taser from a moving vehicle.

The ATV crashed into the rear of a pickup, police said.

The trooper who was involved has been suspended.

I do not see enough to form a firm opinion about what happened. It appears the cop fired he taser out the open passenger-side window. Whether he hit anything is not clear. The kid could have avoided the taser but, in doing so, drove into the back of a truck.

As far as I can determine, the death has been ruled an accident.

white correctly raised the same issues.

Generally, an autopsy will reveal telltale puncture and electrical burn marks from a police-grade taser.

We still don't know how much of a hazard the yute posed to the public (pets, kids, etc.).

My best guess is that shooting a taser at someone operating a moving vehicle, in the absence of extreme exigent circumstance, would be reckless, and a resultant death likely to be manslaughter, unless justified. Did the yute's driving pose an imminent danger to others?

I dunno. What if the cop just pulled alongside and sounded an air horn or his loudspeaker, startling the kid into a crash?

I think they would have to prove he hit the kid with the taser. And that should show up on an autopsy from puncture marks surrounded by a small electrical burn at the microscopic level, if not visible to the naked eye.

I think they would have to prove he hit the kid with the taser. And that should show up on an autopsy from puncture marks surrounded by a small electrical burn at the microscopic level, if not visible to the naked eye.

My thought is that a taser hit from a moving vehicle on a driver of a moving vehicle would likely rip clothes and skin. I do not imagine the cop car would stay within wire range as the kid came to a sudden stop.

Assuming a missed taser shot, it would be difficult for the kid's counsel to show that the kid even knew he was shot at by a taser.

What if the cop just pulled alongside and sounded an air horn or his loudspeaker, startling the kid into a crash?

That is certainly distinguishable from shooting him with a taser. A noise may startle him and could result in an accident. A taser would disable him and result in a certain loss of control of the vehicle. The driver would almost certainly fall off the vehicle if he didn't crash into something first.

I notice that the mother is "respectfully requests this Honorable Court enter judgment in his favor against Defendant and in an amount greatly in excess of Seventy-Five Thousand dollars ($75,000.00) exclusive of costs, interest and attorney fees."

So the papers are reporting it as a $50M lawsuit. I see the mother is asking to net a profit of $75K at minimum. And they may just pay her off.