Fayetteville officers cleared in Taser death

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Tags:

cumberland county, sbi, local/state

FAYETTEVILLE -- The State Bureau of Investigation has cleared Fayetteville police of any wrongdoing in last year's death of a man who was Tasered.

Three Fayetteville police officers were placed on administrative duty last August following the death of 56-year-old Michael Evans.

According to police, the incident began when an officer observed Evans acting erratically in the area of Eastern Boulevard and Adams Street. The officer said he was attempting to jump onto vehicles on the roadway.

Story: Suspect dies after officers try to arrest him

When the officer attempted to take him into custody, the suspect began to resist and a Taser was used. After a brief struggle, police determined the man was unresponsive.

The state Medical Examiner found that Evans had four times the lethal amount of cocaine in his system and died from overdose, but that the electric shock from the Taser was a contributing factor along with heart disease.

The Fayetteville Observer reported Wednesday that the SBI has now cleared all the officers involved.

Following the incident, the Fayetteville Police Department ordered its officers to turn in their Tasers at the department's training facility where the weapons were inspected to make sure they were functioning properly.