AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- An Austin, Texas, man died within two hours of being subdued by police using a Taser stun gun, which sparked internal and medical examiner investigations.
The unidentified man reportedly attacked police Monday afternoon as they responded to a domestic fight. Police used pepper spray and Tasers to subdue the man who injured two officers.
Austin Police Chief Stan Knee said an initial review showed the Tasers were used in line with department policy.
"To my knowledge, this is the first time someone has died in custody after being Tased," Knee told the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman.
Police use of Tasers has been debated on safety grounds. Amnesty International says 70 people have died in the United States from Tasers since 2001.
Every Austin police officer has a Taser stun gun, which police used four times as often in 2004 as they did in 2003. Authorities said Tasers halved injuries during the same period.
The police homicide and internal affairs units were investigating and awaiting autopsy results from the Travis County, Texas, medical examiner's office.
