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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -
A Hurricane police officer won't face prosecution for using a Taser on a bipolar man who later died, the Washington County attorney's office said Thursday. Officer Ken Thompson acted in accordance with his training, County Attorney Brock Belnap said in a letter to Hurricane Police Chief Lynn Excell. Cardall, 32, of Flagstaff, Ariz., died June 9 after he was hit twice with a Taser on state Route 59 in southern Utah. Cardall was running naked in traffic on the highway.
A Taser, a type of stun gun, shoots a probe that delivers an electric shock.
"In my view officer Thompson responded to a tense, uncertain and rapidly unfolding situation in a manner consistent with his training and that he did not intend, believe or foresee would seriously injure or cause the death of Brian Cardall," Belnap wrote in the letter.
The decision comes after an investigation by the county's critical incident task force and a review by a panel of prosecutors. In his letter, Belnap said the unanimous recommendation of the panel was not to file charges.
In a statement issued through an attorney, Cardall's family said it disappointed, but not surprised, by Belnap's decision.
They criticized the county's report for glossing over or ignoring some facts and eyewitnesses accounts of Thompson's 42 second interaction with Cardall before the Taser was deployed.
"In light of the county attorney's decision, the family will discuss their options for ensuring that the full truth emerges regarding Brian's death," the statement from attorney Karra Porter reads. "They also want to feel reassured that steps are being taken to prevent other senseless deaths in the future."
In police recordings, Cardall is heard screaming as his wife, Anna Cardall, asks a 911 dispatcher for help before police arrived. She also tells the dispatcher her husband had been diagnosed as bipolar and that she had given him some medicine.
The tapes also recorded Thompson yelling at Cardall to "get down" at least a dozen times before the Taser is deployed. Later, Thompson is heard saying he deployed the device a second time when a downed Cardall tried to get up.
An attorney for the Hurricane police has announced a news conference for 3 p.m. MDT Thursday.
Tasers are manufactured by Taser International in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Stay with FOX 13 News and fox13now.com for more developments on this story.
SEND US YOUR NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS PICTURES! www.fox13now.com/pics
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A Taser, a type of stun gun, shoots a probe that delivers an electric shock.
"In my view officer Thompson responded to a tense, uncertain and rapidly unfolding situation in a manner consistent with his training and that he did not intend, believe or foresee would seriously injure or cause the death of Brian Cardall," Belnap wrote in the letter.
The decision comes after an investigation by the county's critical incident task force and a review by a panel of prosecutors. In his letter, Belnap said the unanimous recommendation of the panel was not to file charges.
In a statement issued through an attorney, Cardall's family said it disappointed, but not surprised, by Belnap's decision.
They criticized the county's report for glossing over or ignoring some facts and eyewitnesses accounts of Thompson's 42 second interaction with Cardall before the Taser was deployed.
"In light of the county attorney's decision, the family will discuss their options for ensuring that the full truth emerges regarding Brian's death," the statement from attorney Karra Porter reads. "They also want to feel reassured that steps are being taken to prevent other senseless deaths in the future."
In police recordings, Cardall is heard screaming as his wife, Anna Cardall, asks a 911 dispatcher for help before police arrived. She also tells the dispatcher her husband had been diagnosed as bipolar and that she had given him some medicine.
The tapes also recorded Thompson yelling at Cardall to "get down" at least a dozen times before the Taser is deployed. Later, Thompson is heard saying he deployed the device a second time when a downed Cardall tried to get up.
An attorney for the Hurricane police has announced a news conference for 3 p.m. MDT Thursday.
Tasers are manufactured by Taser International in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Stay with FOX 13 News and fox13now.com for more developments on this story.
SEND US YOUR NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS PICTURES! www.fox13now.com/pics
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @fox13now
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