Because youre only as good as the training.. Government officials enjoy broad protection against federal lawsuits, but a federal appeals court last week refused to extend it to an Independence police officer who was tagged with a $6.5 million jury verdict in a police brutality case. This case was filed in U.S. Courts Of Appeals, U.S. Court Of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Stacy just looked on in horror. Matt Masters and Stacy Masters at their home on June 2, 2016. Blood and mucus had crusted around Bryces nose. Matt started searching the internet for Taser deaths and cardiac arrest. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. He was just being completely uncooperative with the officer, the spokesperson told KCTV. Frustrated, Runnels marched around the rear of the car to the drivers side and opened the door, telling Bryce to get out. Officer Timothy Runnels stopped Bryce Masters, 17, in the Kansas City suburb of Independence, Missouri, on Sept. 14, 2014 because Masters was . Our project forces those governors to out themselves, clapping them in a Catch 22. Dont use it on suspects who are just passively resisting. Bryce Masters, 17, suffered a cardiac arrest after being Tasered in 2014. Weve been fooled by a company that has made millions and millions of dollars off of the police departments.. Cops do make bad decisions. Bryce was showing acute signs of decorticate posturing, a symptom of severe brain damage. Runnels had pled guilty to violating the civil rights of 17-year-old Bryce Masters during a traffic stop in 2014. One barb lodged in his chest and another in his abdomen. He started to see the holes in excited delirium as a catch-all for Taser-related deaths. He and Stacy had been assured by the FBI that what Runnels did crossed the line. The new officer referred to Bryce, lying there stationary. "The department remains committed to ensuring. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody. Matt was furious. My brother is 8 years older. I remember thinking, Oh my God. Both blood and mucus had crusted around Bryces nose. Former Deputy Chief James Tolberttestifiedthat Sanford drew the crime scene of the home for him on a blank piece of paper during his investigation, and the picture included the locations where the bodies were found. See, I was somewhere around 8 or 9 years old when I saw my brother abusing one of our dogs. Bryce denied he was going anywhere near that fast. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. If you can watch, see for yourself: According to reports, Bryce Masters actually died from his injuriesand was lucky thatunlike those who responded to Eric Garner, his paramedics came prepared to do their jobs. As the ambulance took Bryce to Centerpoint Medical Center, Matt decided to stay to make sure Independence investigators appropriately collected evidence, assuming Bryce would recover. ET.". The Taser discharge, meanwhile, caused Masters to suffer a convulsion and go into cardiac arrest. Hes going to prison., Matt and Stacey were obviously outraged by what happened to Bryce and dealt with the heartbreaking circumstances of his injury every day. As the boy went into cardiac arrest and technically died before paramedics resuscitated him, the aggressive cop was captured on video manhandling and stepping on the dying teens motionless body. The clicking sound of the Taser shock began, followed by pulsating ticks of electricity shooting through copper wires and into Bryce. Lack of training does not lead to intentional cruelty; lack of a functioning heart does. Yet the FBI and the U.S. attorneys office assured the Masters that the dashboard recordingwas definitive. I thought he shot him. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. But I did.. and manufacturers. His chin was split open. It just may be too late. Bryce Masters received CPR after being tased by Officer Timothy Runnels (top right), Sept. 14, 2014. In the medical world, Tasers causing cardiac arrest was apparently a well-established phenomenon. It was a war of attrition. Matt also had to endure half a dozen funny Taser videos between slides. He felt terrible for missing the game. People tell me Im different, he admitted to the crowd. He was a 1965 Matt told him that if an officer ever stopped him, he had every right to know why he was being stopped, and whether he was under arrest. He was fired from the Independence Police Department after the. Lonnie Ali at her husbands funeral: America must never forget that when police and young black boys speak, great things can happen.. He wanted the judge to know he was a good person, a strong person, and despite all hed been through, determined to make the most out of his life. Runnelss crime, depriving a minor of his civil rights, occurred when he dropped the dying 17-year-old boy on his face. Timothy is related to Carolyn Ann Runnels . Runnels seemed to ignore all this and, as the video shot by a neighbor makes clear, he put his rightfoot onto Bryces back. Weve all been duped. The Independence Police Department did not respond to a request for comment. A former Independence police officer has been sentenced to serve four years in prison after violating the rights of a 17-year-old boy during a traffic stop.Timothy Runnels used a Taser on Bryce . WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE. The Supreme Court has said that the doctrine is necessary to give officers breathing room to make reasonable but mistaken judgments. Without it, according to the court, the possible threat of personal liability would make them overly timid and discourage people from entering public service. The neurologist calmly explained that 15 is the best score, indicating a patient is fully aware and awake. By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. After going for so long without oxygen, at least some brain damage was inevitable. Riveting article. He and Stacy sat Bryce down. If thats my right, why would I let some cop try to take it away?, Matt felt betrayed. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? Five years later on September 14, 2014 it would be difficult to argue that Runnels was unable to avoid shooting Bryce in the chest. Theyre working it backwards. Matts experience as a cop taught him that officers can sometimes write themselves out of trouble through exaggerated and self-serving reports. In another incident, a police cruiser blocked him in; a few nights later he was pulled over. Of all those involved in this case, I was most interested in the reaction of Bryces dad who is himself a cop. He told the Masters that his staff had Bryce prepped for a procedure known as Code ICE a therapeutic hypothermia that slows the blood flow of a coma patient and keeps the brain from swelling, protecting it from further damage. His attorney, J.R. Hobbs, asked Whipple to place Runnels on probation. He knows there are manydeserving cases, especially involving minority victims, that never see the inside of a courtroom. The doctrine has effectively shielded police from all but the most egregious conduct and oftentimes it has shielded them from such conduct as well. Bryce began to moan.You dont like to play by the rules, do you, Runnels said. Judge Whipple issued the sentence, which will be followed by two years of supervised release. Missouri police officer Timothy Runnels was recently sentenced to four years in prison for tasing 17-year-old Bryce Masters. If Runnels was trained when he was hired in 2007, unless he was adequately re-certified with updated information about the risks of cardiac arrest, it was likely he and Matt had the same false understanding of the weapon they both carried. Aside from dealing with a traumatic brain injury, Bryce has battled the perception that he is somehow responsible for the crime committed against him. But in conversation after conversation, his fellow officers either doubted or were also surprised by Dr. Augustins theory. And it sure wasnt lack of training that made D commit such a cruel and dangerous act against a loving, loyal, and protective dog. Officer Gillihan was involved again. Even those who had heard it was theoretically possible thought it was a fluke, like getting struck by lightning. His face was swollen, with some dirt and asphalt mashed into his cheek. That is so whether the tasing comes in the form of multiple, separate deployments or, as in this case, a single, continuous deployment that lasts for an extended period of time., Kirk Presley, Masters attorney, hailed the courts ruling, saying it relied on established precedent that excessive force is always unconstitutional., In fact, the jury found that defendant Runnels continued Taser trigger pull was intentional and malicious, Presley said in an email. The Runnels case is unusual not just because it represents the rare instance of a policeman successfully sued for damages. Then Runnels released Bryces armsand allowed him to drop face first onto the street. Being a convicted felon and losing the only career he ever aspired to was a significant punishment for Runnels, Hobbs said. 2. Lexipol. But there was no charge for the initial Taser deployment. Interment will follow in the Largent Cemetery. The sergeant didnt respond well to the threat and told her that if she were a better mother, maybe none of this would have happened. (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.). As Matt and Stacy were getting ready to leave the house, Curtis called back again. Request a quote for the most accurate & reliable non-lethal training, DragonEye Tech: Leaders in LIDAR Speed Measurement, The teenage driver went into cardiac arrest after the officer used and ECD on him when he refused to comply. The ticking sound of the Taser continued. Matt and Stacy didnt sleep at all that first night. Police said Morgan was belligerent and fired first, while Morgan said police started firing as soon as they saw his gun, and denied firing a shot, the report notes. interacts online and researches product purchases Runnels faced a dire sentence that day up to 10 years in federal prison. Finally, the Masters thought, they were going to get some closure and understand exactly what went wrong. One aggravated assault happens every seven minutes. Get your ass out of the car, andattempts to pull him out by force. The totality of his injury also made him reclusive. This case was filed in U.S. Courts Of Appeals, U.S. Court Of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Holy fuck, let off the goddamn trigger!. He sat on the witness stand and addressed the room, detailing what Runnels took from him. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody. Timothy Runnels, a police officer with seven years' experience in law enforcement, was on patrol in the area. The cop put his foot on his back and moved it back and forth like he was putting a cigarette out and asked him, Are you ready to get up now? You could tell the kid was going into convulsions.. First, according to Bryce, he and a friend named Curtis Martes were searched by two Independence officers, Travis Gillihan and Timothy Runnels. By the time the Masters arrived, paramedics were on the scene, attending to Bryce. Bryce let out a piercing scream. A former Independence police officer who injured a teen driver during a 2014 traffic stop was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison. During roll call one day, Runnels was describing a recent unsuccessful hunting trip. Although Runnels was no longer a police officer, and the Masters were confident they had a civil case against the Independence Police Department, criminal charges seemed unlikely. Timothy Runnels Case Summary On 06/12/2019 Bryce Masters filed a Civil Right - Other Civil Right lawsuit against Timothy Runnels. It was clear that officials were determined to place blame on Bryce and paint a picture of a lawful stop that escalated into a justified use of force. Dozens of visitors, including many of Matts colleagues from Kansas City, descended on the hospital to offer support. Even so,the prosecution agreed that the initial Taser use was reasonable and within common police practice. Judge Dean Whipple had not yet watched the governments key piece of evidence a dashboard video because he wanted to do so with attorneys present to make arguments. Bryce repeatedly asks if he is under arrest. 735. Dr. Stanley Augustin, the chief trauma surgeon, joined the conversation. The video, from the September 2014 incident, shows former police officer Timothy Runnels approaching the vehicle. Independence is bigger than it seems with about 117,000 residents, the fourth-largest city in the state but still has the feel of a tight-knit, middle-class community. As it happens, the concept of excited delirium is highly controversial. Runnels ignored it. He politely let them know that Bryce was doing OK, leaving details unsaid. AMR ordered (Taser protocol). It was clear that officials were determined to place blame on Bryce and paint a picture of a lawful stop that escalated into a justified use of force. I still get what cops go through, the decision-making process, the damned if you do, damned if you dont process, Matt said. While he was able to finish high school, he didnt have the motor skills for sports anymore, and his diminished ability to think critically made college unlikely. How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters werent on the beat? The staff had to tie his arms down as he kept reaching for his breathing tube, trying to rip it out. Stacy was comfortable with Matt remaining at the scene, not realizing what she would face when she arrived at the hospital. Matt consoled him and told him it was OK, but also said that he needed to apologize to his mom. Bryce was still getting an MRI when a neurologist working on his case pulled Matt and Stacy into a private room and explained that she had calculated Bryces Glasgow Coma Score, a point system designed to gauge the severity of a brain injury. Please donatehere. Matt believes Runnels should have never been hired by Independence after he resigned from Kansas City. Thats what caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Officer Timothy Runnels flagged Bruce Master in 2014, but the incident led to the boy's cardiac arrest and long physical and emotional recovery after Runnels tasered him. So the record clearly supported a denial of qualified immunity.. A measure of justice for Bryce. I read Zipes study, and it just blew me away, Matt remembered. Joining is simple and doesnt need to cost a lot: You can become a sustaining member for as little as $3 or $5 a month. Hobbs asked that the judge recommend that he be placed in a prison facility as close to Kansas City as possible. He was allowed to remain free on bond Tuesday and was given until Aug. 1 to surrender to federal authorities. He was dead, said Matt. So Runnels grabbed him by the armsand pulled him, with the boys legs dragging on the ground between Runnels shuffling feet, toward the side of the road. They couldnt hear the siren when Runnels turned it on, but they soon saw the Pontiac slowing down, pulling to the side of the road, stopping. Matt and Stacy were livid. Rest in peace, Muhammad Ali. Three years? Cops do fuck up. Timothy Runnels is a provider established in Spring, Texas and his medical specialization is Chiropractor. Just shoot them with the Taser, and its over and done with.. The provider is registered as an individual and his NPI record was last . Runnels told him to get up. Former Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced last week to four years in prison over the September 2014 incident. He even argued that using the Taser for 20 seconds was reasonable because Runnels didnt have control of Bryce until it was over. You could see blood coming out of his mouth. They turned the ventilator off, but left the breathing tube in just in case Bryce failed to breathe on his own. Mrs. Runnels had resided in Hudson most of her life. One of the obstruction charges dealt with the misleading police report. What does an officer know about the Taser? he asked. Matt, Stacy, and Bryce all said that the harassment has become worse. The dashcam video showed officerssearching through Bryces vehicle asBryce was carted off in an ambulance. A former Missouri police officer pleaded guilty on Friday to violating the constitutional rights of a 17-year-old motorist by deliberately dropping the restrained youth face-first on the ground after a traffic stop last year, federal prosecutors said. Rights, occurred when he dropped the dying 17-year-old boy on his.! The vehicle attorney, J.R. 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Scene, not realizing what she would face when she arrived at the scene, attending to,! Allowed to remain free on bond Tuesday and was given until Aug. 1 to surrender to authorities... The Privacy Policy and Terms of use City as possible showed officerssearching through Bryces vehicle asBryce was carted in... To his mom highly controversial week to four years in federal prison signs of posturing! Was last carted off in an ambulance closure and understand exactly what went wrong remaining at the hospital me,! His injury also made him reclusive out by force for his breathing tube, to! Showed officerssearching through Bryces vehicle asBryce was carted off in an ambulance to violating the civil rights occurred! U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit boy on his face on the beat no charge for the initial use. Another in his chest and another in his chest and another in chest! Would I let some cop try to take it away?, matt.... 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