Wounded Cop Says Taser Failed Him

April 30, 2009
By JEANINE DEBOER, Courthouse News Service

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CN) - A police officer says his attempt to arrest a shoplifter had a deadly ending when his Taser failed him. Jared Reston says when the stun gun failed the shoplifter pulled out a gun and shot him in the chin, and didn't stop shooting until Reston pulled his own gun and killed the man.

In his complaint in Duval County Court, Reston says the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office issued him a Taser X26 ECW, made by defendants Taser International and DGG Taser. He says the device failed to "fire, sound, spark or deploy the probes" as it should have when he pulled it on a shoplifting suspect who was trying to make a run for it.

Detecting the Taser's malfunction as the officer placed it back in his holster, he pulled out a gun and shot Reston in the chin and numerous other times. Reston got his own pistol and shot and killed the suspect as he continued to advance toward him, firing, according to the complaint.

Reston and his wife are represented by Edward McCarthy and Christopher Hazelip with Rogers Towers.