Iman Morales Taser incident

On September 24, 2008, Inman Morales died after being tasered in Brooklyn, New York. He was 35 years old.

The incident

An emotionally disturbed Inman Morales was standing ten feet off the ground on top of a building ledge, [...], and swinging a long fluorescent tube bulb at NYPD officers. NYPD ESU commander Lt. Michael Pigott ordered ESU Officer Nicholas Marchesona to taser Morales. The immobilized Morales then fell head-first to the pavement below. Morales received major head trauma and died hours later. The events were viewed by several eyewitnesses and captured on photo and video. Morales death was ruled a [...] but no criminal charges have been filed.

Aftermath

Investigations

An investigation was conducted and the two officers that were involved in the incident, Lt. Pigott and Officer Marchesona were placed off ACTIVE duty. NYPD policy explicitly prohibits taser use "in situations where the subject may fall from an elevated surface." Pigott was stripped of his badge and gun, but Marchesona was not. NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly ordered more than 400 ESU officers to take refresher training on how to respond to emotionally disturbed people.

The NYC medical examiner's office ruled Inman Morale's death as a [...].

The Brooklyn district attorney accepted the NYPD's assessment of the incident as a tragic accident with no criminality.

Pigott's [...]

On October 2, Lt. Michael Pigott was found dead at ESU headquarters at Floyd Bennett Field after committing [...]. It was his birthday. He went to Floyd Bennett Field alone, went to a locker room, stole a 9-millimeter Glock from another officer's locker, and shot himself in the head. On the found [...] note, it said he didn't want his children (two sons Michael and Robert and daughter Elizabeth) to see him handcuffed or behind bars. A service member found him at 6am EST.