Pubdate: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) Copyright: 2006, Denver Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371 Author: Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News NO CHARGES IN TASER DEATH BOULDER - The District Attorney's office Tuesday said it won't file criminal charges against a Lafayette police officer in the Taser death of a man, but made the point that this doesn't necessarily mean the officer acted appropriately. Ryan Wilson, 22, died Aug. 4 shortly after he was chased from a marijuana field by officers, ran for a half-mile and was hit by the prongs of a Taser X26 fired by Officer John Harris. The Lafayette police had said Harris fired the Taser because he felt threatened when Wilson reached for what looked to be a knife, but turned out to be a box cutter. Assistant District Attorney Peter Maguire didn't try to address whether Harris truly felt threatened, saying that question would be germane if Harris had used a firearm, because an officer can't use excessive force with a suspect. But a single shot from a Taser "cannot be viewed as an unreasonable use of force," Maguire said in a letter explaining the decision. Tasers are used by police across the country, and while there have been several Taser-related deaths, the chances of a single shot causing a death remain very low. Such Taser-related deaths usually are associated with extreme exertion, drugs in the bloodstream or heart problems. A coroner's report found no drugs in Wilson's system but did find an unusually narrow artery that could have contributed to the death. Ultimately, the DA's office decided against filing criminal charges because there isn't a likelihood that charges can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, the letter said. But that is "not necessarily synonymous with a finding that the matter was handled appropriately," according to the letter. The Lafayette Police Department had no comment on the DA's letter, said spokesman Fred Palmer. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine