It was Bryces only option, doctors told Matt and Stacy. The video and other evidence presented at the sentencing demonstrates that Runnels then deliberately dropped the handcuffed victim face-first into the pavement. Instead of getting angry at his fellow officers, though, Matt felt sympathy for them. During roll call one day, Runnels was describing a recent unsuccessful hunting trip. Even those who had heard it was theoretically possible thought it was a fluke, like getting struck by lightning. He had to have done something.. Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer, sat at a large, rectangular defense table inside Courtroom 8B at the Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, late last month. He suffered brain damage and the road ahead will not be easy for him. Dozens of visitors, including many of Matts colleagues from Kansas City, descended on the hospital to offer support. The officer pushed him against the car and began digging through his pockets. The video, from the September 2014 incident, shows former police officer Timothy Runnels approaching the vehicle. Meanwhile, Independence police officials were intent on controlling the story. Driver uncooperative, struggles, taser deployed, additional struggle. Runnels grabbed his Taser from his belt and pointed it at Bryce, who repeatedly asked what he was being pulled over for. Yeah, they had a heart attack, but the Taser didnt cause it. I get a lot of sympathy from my black cop friends, like, this is what weve been saying about cops for a long, long time.'. He thought again about his own training, and how Taser International, by holding a virtual monopoly on the weapons, heavily influenced the information officers received. One punctured his chest, to the right of his midsection. He and Stacy sat Bryce down. In the video, Runnels refers to Bryces August arrest, which was being contested by the Masters. He was born on May 27, 1947 in Bloomingburg, Ohio to Clarence and Rebecca Wyatt Runnels. Select this result to view Timothy Glynn Runnels's phone number, address, and more. He took a shot right to the heart, and that sent him into cardiac arrest.. A snapping thud filled the room the sound of Bryces 175-pound frame hitting the pavement as his teeth crashed together and his jaw dislocated. But in more recent comments to a state investigator, Tolbert said that he drew the crime scene and Sanford only drew the bodies. It was easier for himto view Runnelss actions as an error of judgment exacerbated by ignorance. He was fired from the Independence Police Department after the encounter. The catalyst for the crime was the 23-second Taser deployment straight into Bryce's chest. The judge read the count, and Runnels sat on the stand facing the crowd as he accepted the plea. INDEPENDENCE, Mo. I dont play games., Ive been tased a dozen times, Runnels said to Bryce. Timothy Runnels's passing at the age of 58 on Monday, June 13, 2022 has been publicly announced by Samaritan Affordable Funeral and Cremation Services - Terre Haute in Terre Haute, IN.According to the Contact your United States senatorandcontact your representative in the United States Congress. Hobbs asked that the judge recommend that he be placed in a prison facility as close to Kansas City as possible. Sentencing was not in place, but Runnels had agreed to plead guilty to one of the four charges, violating the constitutional rights of a minor. Aside from dealing with a traumatic brain injury, Bryce has battled the perception that he is somehow responsible for the crime committed against him. All right, fine, fuck it, he said, aiming the Taser at Bryce and pulling the trigger. They couldnt believe he was up walking in less than a week. Other sources, such as an informal list known as Truth Not Tasers, put the figure at nearly 1,000. Matt Masters does not agree that the Taser use was reasonable, but he agrees it was common police practice. "The department remains committed to ensuring that police officers who violate their sworn oaths by using excessive force are held accountable," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. After handcuffing him, Runnels lifted the unconscious teen by his arms and dragged him several feet to a driveway before dropping him face-first onto the concrete, fracturing four teeth and causing abrasions on his face. Matt Masters and Stacy Masters at their home on June 2, 2016. INDEPENDENCE, Mo. He was recording the interaction with his cellphone. Matt and Stacy were livid. Runnels also was indicted on charges of depriving Masters of his civil rights under color of law and obstruction of justice. He was intimately familiar with the grand jury process and how it skewed heavily toward exonerating officers in use of force situations. Used both as a description of a state of mind as well as a medical diagnosis, excited delirium is a phrase that medical examiners sometimes use in official reports after a person is severely injured or killed in an intense police interaction. Although sentencing guidelines called for a term of eight to 10 years, prosecutors recommended a sentence of no more than four years as part of the plea agreement. Everyone was at a loss, not just over the gravity of Bryces medical distress, but over what had sparked the use of force to begin with. I havent done anything officer, Bryce yelled. The other punctured several inches below and slightly left of his heart. Because youre only as good as the training.. He was mean, especially to his parents. Copyright 2023 While Taser International has updated its material to mention potential cardiac risks (as well as several other ways the weapons can cause injury or death), Matt sees that as mere fine print that neither the company nor many officers take seriously. Matt began calling all the law enforcement contacts he could, trying to figure out what might have happened. State police reinvestigated the case and found that a deputy who originally gave sworn testimony that Sanford drew an accurate diagram of the crime scene, later contradicted that testimony, the prosecutors offices statement said. The practitioner's primary taxonomy code is 111N00000X with license number 9478 (TX). BARRY H. RUNNELS, age 72, of Washington CH, passed away on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at his home. Independence Police Department squad car. But his anxiety those first few months made such issues much more debilitating. Worse, they were afraid his emotional vulnerability would cause him to take his own life. 2021) Annotate this Case Court Description: [Kelly, Author, with Colloton and Melloy, Circuit Judges] Civil Case - Civil Rights Act. Instead, today's story involves an over-zealous cop whose use of a Taser caused irreparable harm to a teenager who had committed no offense. ), Watching the video, Stacy was astounded. I remember thinking, Oh my God. Even so,the prosecution agreed that the initial Taser use was reasonable and within common police practice. A three is the worst possible score. In addition to being a police officer, Martin also trained young boxers at a local gym. Bryce began to moan.You dont like to play by the rules, do you, Runnels said. save. Later in the evening, as things quieted down, Dr. Augustin arrived to check on Bryce. A former Independence police officer who injured a teen driver during a 2014 traffic stop was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison. The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. Matt and Stacy would check on him as he slept, just to make sure he was still breathing. Given the grim initial prognosis, the Masters felt lucky. I dont know, she said. Matt and Stacy were upset, but they believed the worst was over. In a final sentencing hearing on June 1, Runnels was sentenced to four years in federal prison. Dash camera video of the incident depicts Runnels handcuffing the minor after the taser deployment and then picking him up. Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Then one morning in August 2014, after spending the night at a friends house in Independence, Bryce walked outside and approached his car, which was parked on the street. He knew this piece of evidence absolved him of any wrongdoing. And, when they do, theres someone on the receiving end of that., When asked if he still has faith in the system, considering that Runnels is one of the rare officers to face criminal punishment for using excessive force, Matt shakes his head no. Am I under arrest? Timothy Runnels, 32, previously pleaded guilty. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Runnels said that 400 to 500 workers came in Monday to finish restoring power to the some 400 customers who were still without power Monday after the storm had initially knocked out electric . And, when they do, theres someone on the receiving end of that., In his sons case, an officer is paying for his bad decision. As he left Centerpoint Medical Center late Sunday afternoon, he walked with a noticeable limp, dragging his right leg behind him. Case Details Parties Documents Dockets Case Details Case Number: 19-2199 Filing Date: According to the court filings, Runnels also admitted that his actions resulted in bodily injury to the minor. Officer Timothy Runnels stopped Bryce Masters, 17, in the Kansas City suburb of Independence, Missouri, on Sept. 14, 2014 because Masters was driving a car owned by a woman with an outstanding. Today, he sees law enforcement through the eyes of a victim. The police kept referencing an outstanding warrant, but unless there was a ticket Mattdidnt know about, Bryces license was valid and his car had been registered to Matt and Stacy for over three years. The Taser discharge, meanwhile, caused Masters to suffer a convulsion and go into cardiac arrest. Bryce refused. I didnt need training to know that what he was doing was very, very wrong. 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