Ex-Oklahoma cops accused of tasing unarmed man over 50 times are convicted of murder
Two former Oklahoma police officers have been convicted of second-degree murder after they used their Tasers on an unarmed man over 50 times in July of 2019, media outlets report.
Jared Lackey, 28, died two days later.
A jury found both Wilson Police Department officers, Brandon Dingman, 34, and Joshua Taylor, 25, guilty of second-degree murder on Nov. 5, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, according to court documents.
Sentencing is scheduled to start Dec. 2.
The Wilson Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment by McClatchy News.
On the evening of July 4, 2019, both Dingman and Taylor responded to a call about a disturbance involving Lakey, who was acting in a “disorderly” way, according to a 2020 news release.
Officers tased Lakey over 50 times before he was taken into custody, which “greatly exceeded what would have been necessary or warranted” by the circumstances, court documents state.
According to Craig Ladd, the district attorney for the 20th Judicial District in Oklahoma, officers are trained to limit Taser exposure to 15 seconds or less and not use multiple devices at the same time, the New York Times reported. But Ladd said the officers tased Lakey for 3 minutes and 14 seconds.
“They tased Jared because he was lying naked in a ditch and wouldn’t put his hands behind his back when they asked him to, even though it wasn’t clear whether Jared truly understood what was going on or what he was being requested to do,” Ladd told the jury, the Times reported. “He never made any aggressive moves towards the officers, swung at them, lunged at them, or kicked at them.”
Lakey died in an Oklahoma City hospital on July 6.
Court documents show the cause of death was due to complications of a heart attack “and law enforcement use of electrical weapons and restraint,” the Daily Ardmoreite reported.
The case was investigated by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, to help with the investigation into Lakey’s death, according to KFOR.
Shannon McMurray, a lawyer for Dingman, told the Times that he planned to appeal his conviction, and said Lakey had an enlarged heart before he died.
A lawyer for Taylor, Warren Gotcher, told the Times that his client would also file an appeal.
“We’re very disappointed in the verdict,” Gotcher told the Times.
A lawsuit has been filed against the city of Wilson and several of the officers by Lakey’s family.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 4:18 PM.
