Community Corner
Medical Examiner: Taser ‘Not the Cause’ of Mendoza’s Death
Police union steward has requested an apology from members of the NAACP and ACLU after they 'condemned the department' on the front steps of police headquarters without having all the facts.
A preliminary autopsy has ruled out use of a Taser in the death of a Meriden man who passed away at MidState Medical Center Sunday night following a violent episode outside the police station – and police want an apology from those who rushed to conclusions.
Staff with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington said the autopsy will require a full toxicology to determine which drugs were in his system before the exact cause of death is determined, but the initial autopsy has determined the Taser was not responsible for the death of Noel Mendoza.
Mendoza, 43, died Sunday following a series of combative incidents with police and medical personnel. The Meriden resident drove into the restricted parking lot behind the police station and appeared confused, telling police he smoked crack and had swallowed cocaine.
State Police said when Meriden officers called medical personnel and attempted to help him, Mendoza became combative and needed to be subdued using a Taser to be put in an ambulance.
In light of a press conference held by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, the Meriden Police Union is calling for an apology regarding accusations of brutality and unnecessary force with a Taser made by the two groups on Wednesday.
“It’s time that the NAACP Conference President and the ACLU come back to our home, go back on our front steps in front of the cameras and say ‘we’re sorry’,” said John Williams, police union steward.
“The NAACP is an organization that has done great things in this Country and in this State over the years,” he said. “The police union has supported this organization for years as well as supporting local activities for its citizens sponsored by this agency. We have enjoyed a good working relationship with the local NAACP President and its former pas presidents. What their conference president did was make it more difficult for our members to do their job.”
Other stories on the Taser incident in Meriden:
- Man Dies After Being Tasered, Officer Placed on Administrative Leave
- Man Tasered Behind Police Station Identified as Noel Mendoza
- NAACP's Esdaile on Tasers: 'Stop Using These Tools of Torture'
The joint press conference on Wednesday called for a moratorium on Taser use and criticized the department for use of Tasers and stun guns.
Early police reports, however, have indicated that Mendoza was still combative inside the ambulance and later at the hospital in the emergency room – long after he was Tasered by police. The preliminary autopsy reports also indicate that while the role drugs played in the death are unknown, the stun gun was not responsible for Mendoza’s death.
David McGuire, an attorney with the ACLU of Connecticut, told the Record-Journal on Thursday that he had no regrets regarding the press conference and said there are still a lot of questions to be answered regarding both the latest case and deaths following use of a Taser.
“There are still a lot of questions to be answered,” McGuire told the Record-Journal. “The public needs to be apprised of the issues. The purpose of the press conference was to put these questions out there.”
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