Man Tased by Sheriff’s Deputy Dies

Meth Taser A man who was tased by a Mobile County sheriff's deputy has died.

by Kesshia Peyton

Published: Thu, January 03, 2008 - 6:01 pm CST Last Updated: Thu, January 03, 2008 - 6:05 pm CST

Wednesday night, emergency crews were taking Brandon Smiley of Wilmer to the hospital after his family said he was complaining of chest pains.
They told news five he had taken the drug meth a couple of days before and he hadn't been the same.
On the way to the hospital Smiley reportedly began to act erratically and crews had to call for extra assistance.
A sheriff's deputy also came to help.
"The ambulance was literally forced off the road. He (Smiley) came out of his restraints in the back and the driver from the ambulance had to rapidly pull over the side of the road into incoming traffic. Even passerbys even stopped knowing some kind of situation with the ambulance and stopped to render aid. A couple of other individuals had stopped to render assistance if possible," said Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran.
The deputy had to use a taser to calm Smiley down.
After a short time, smiley stopped breathing and he died at the hospital.
An autopsy will determine an official cause of death.
Sheriff Sam Cochran said the deputy used appropriate force to protect everyone.

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joy-love-faith Says:

Wed, Jan 16, 2008 at 1:29 pm

Iif he was ill why was he doing drugs anyway. maybe it was gods will that hes nolonger with us.most of the time with drugs it is ongoing. it will never be one time.

If they fear for there life they have the right…...

Maybe you the mother of hes child need to be careful of partys and the people you are around.

New Years kill him not the tasered

his 1 & only wife Says:

Wed, Jan 16, 2008 at 11:33 am

I would like to start off by saying that Brandon Smiley was the best man that I have ever known. I meet him when I was 13 and married him when I was 17. We had a beautiful baby boy in 99. My child and I are residents of South Carolina and are appalled by the comments and method of force used on 1-2-08. We dont put people to death in this country for using drugs. Brandon was not a meth or crack head. There may have been drug use on New Years eve. But for all of you who dont know the facts he was also diagnosed with emphysema this past year. Brandon was not a violent guy or a criminal he loved his family and worried about the world all of his life. Everyone needs to wake up and relive that there is a major drug problem and a war on our freedom on this country. Tasers are labeled as non lethal weapons but there has been a 27% increase in deaths this year. His family called 911 to save his life not take it.

MMc06 Says:

Fri, Jan 04, 2008 at 9:27 am

What did the police ever do before they had tasers?

Those were the days when they were allowed to blow rounds through the backs of fleeing felons. Yes, I completely agree that we should go back to those days! Maybe if criminals had a little more to fear than a few punches or a short tazing, there would be less crime.

JIMMIE Says:

Fri, Jan 04, 2008 at 9:26 am

Whats the deal?? understanding a methhead and this is what happens If the family was that concerned where were they BEFORE his drug addiction started and if they wanted him to go to a hospital why didnt they take him instead of calling 911 or was it because he was already out of control, I find no fault with AMR as they were trying to save another crackhead as i fond no fault with the deputy that tased him. Face it folks—-you gonna play with fire—-yuou gonna get burned.

rabidpooh Says:

Fri, Jan 04, 2008 at 8:15 am

What did the police ever do before they had tasers?

They used a night stick and beat people into submission which works great. However, you have the politicaly correct panty waists who felt, that it was too “barbaric” so the taser which is safer for both parties involved has become more mainstay. When someone is hopped up on drugs, a beat down doesn’t always work as they don’t feel pain, or their mind is an altered state. The nervous system has to be overidden to bring that person back into a manageable state to keep from harming not only themselves, but others.

ShinKen Says:

Fri, Jan 04, 2008 at 6:08 am

What did the police ever do before they had tasers?

Let me humbly suggest they go back to it.

Lindie Says:

Thu, Jan 03, 2008 at 7:09 pm

I just love the way wkrg makes the headline of a story. Just because he was tasered by a deputy DOES NOT mean he died because of him being tased. He probably died from having smoked, snorted or rolled in toilet paper crystal meth. The headline should have said, “Man dies on the way to hospital for meth chest pains”