Matt and Stacy didnt sleep at all that first night. The sergeant didnt respond well to the threat and told her that if she were a better mother, maybe none of this would have happened. The catalyst for the crime was the 23-second Taser deployment straight into Bryce's chest. Theyre working it backwards. Matts experience as a cop taught him that officers can sometimes write themselves out of trouble through exaggerated and self-serving reports. Runnels had once been an officer inthe Kansas City Police Department, though Matt didnt work in his sector. Taser puncture marks on Bryce Masterss chest and torso, Sept. 15, 2014. This is a screengrab of the Summary and Title of the Ballot Initiative sent to us bythe California Department of Justice: We await word from the Secretary of State who will be sending us a schedule with the maximum filing deadline and the certification deadline. Judge Dean Whipple had not yet watched the governments key piece of evidence a dashboard video because he wanted to do so with attorneys present to make arguments. An official website of the United States government. Today, he sees law enforcement through the eyes of a victim. Even on the night of Runnels sentencing, Bryce said, he was followed by an Independence squad car for at least 3miles. The sentencing hearingbegan with a surprise. There were four counts total, two related to obstruction of justice and two related to deprivation of rights. 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.'. Miami Trace High School recently released the second nine weeks honor roll and honorable mention. Matt asked what Stacy knew was an inevitable question, a question they needed to address. An officer may not continue to tase a person who is no longer resisting, threatening or fleeing, Circuit Judge Jane L. Kelly wrote on behalf of a three-judge panel of the court. This case was investigated by the FBIs Kansas City Division and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Shan Patel of the Civil Rights Divisions Criminal Section and First Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ketchmark of the Western District of Missouri. Bryce Masters in a coma at Centerpoint Medical Center, Independence, Missouri, Sept. 16, 2014. A former Independence police officer who injured a teen driver during a 2014 traffic stop was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison. How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters werent on the beat? But Bryce wasnt moving. Gillihan claimed hed received a call about a suspicious car parked overnight, and he was waiting when Bryce walked outside. Bryce and his two siblings remained in the Independence school system. It was daylight outside, and in the distance ahead, they could see Bryces gray Pontiac driving along as Runnelss cruiser followed far behind. Matt started searching the internet for Taser deaths and cardiac arrest. You are also welcome to join us onThe Porchover at the Black Kos Community group on Friday afternoons at 4 p.m. He was arrested and charged. Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer SENTENCED to 4 years in Federal Prison. That same month, Matt went in for his annual in-service update an hourlong training session in which officers go over updated information about how to legally deploy police tactics, including the use of Tasers. Other sources, such as an informal list known as Truth Not Tasers, put the figure at nearly 1,000. He retired as a reporter in December 2022 after a 37-year journalism career. We didnt think death, Matt remembered. For the next 24 hours, he would be in limbo as his brain tried to heal itself. They couldnt hear the siren when Runnels turned it on, but they soon saw the Pontiac slowing down, pulling to the side of the road, stopping. A friend at the Independence police station called Matt to tell him his son had just been arrested. Aside from dealing with a traumatic brain injury, Bryce has battled the perception that he is somehow responsible for the crime committed against him. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $6.5 million jury verdict against former officer Timothy Runnels over the confrontation with Bryce Masters during a traffic stop in 2014, KCUR . Most of the damage Bryce suffered, though, was done to his psyche. Once Bryce learned to drive again, Independence squad cars followed him several times, sometimes even pulling up next to him so the officers could smirk or wave. A measure of. They told him that they were disappointed he was smoking marijuana but that his civil rights had been violated. The jury returned its verdict Friday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City after a week-long trial in the lawsuit brought by Bryce Masters against the former officer, Timothy Runnels. The complete dashcam video of Independence, Missouri, police officer Timothy Runnels tasering Bryce Masters on September 14, 2014. Theyre all crushed or something, he told her. and manufacturers. While most of the 15-minute session was spent on updated legal information, and situations in which Taser use was not advised, there was no mention of potential cardiac risks. As Matt walked around the stadium without Bryce that Sunday, he saw several Kansas City cops he knew on patrol. The doctrine has effectively shielded police from all but the most egregious conduct and oftentimes it has shielded them from such conduct as well. Finally, she asked one of the nurses. Government officials enjoy broad protection against federal lawsuits, but a federal appeals court last week refused to extend it to an Independence police officer who was tagged with a $6.5 million jury verdict in a police brutality case. During a sentencing hearing before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Dean Whipple of the Western District of Missouri, the government provided evidence that Runnels deployed his taser into the minors chest during a traffic stop and then caused the electric current to run for approximately 20 seconds, four times longer than officers are trained to deploy a taser. One barb lodged in his chest and another in his abdomen. As the ambulance took Bryce to Centerpoint Medical Center, Matt decided to stay to make sure Independence investigators appropriately collected evidence, assuming Bryce would recover. From The Intercept : I still get what cops go through, the decision-making process, the damned if you do, damned if you dont process, Matt said. Nurses cut his clothes off. Witness video of Independence officer Tim Runnels arresting Bryce Masters following a traffic stop Sunday in Independence. As Matt and Stacy were getting ready to leave the house, Curtis called back again. The staff had to tie his arms down as he kept reaching for his breathing tube, trying to rip it out. "We hope that today's sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. He asked Masters to get out of the car, but the . See, I was somewhere around 8 or 9 years old when I saw my brother abusing one of our dogs. Stacy just looked on in horror. Our Law Enforcement Documentation Act of 2016. He wasnt just alive he was demonstrating awareness. In another incident, a police cruiser blocked him in; a few nights later he was pulled over. Until that point, the Masters had no idea how long Bryce had actually been tased. The Masters werent expecting to see the dashcam video that day, but shortly after court adjourned, Ketchmark invited them to a conference room. But it was a crime scene at that point, with several officers there and yellow tape stretched to cordon off the section of property where the interaction had played out. He pled guilty to one charge and was sentenced. Stacy had put herself in the shoes of Runnelss family. 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. #BLM #StDD, contact your representative in the United States Congress, Judge Frees Detroit Man Who Falsely Confessed To Quadruple Murder At 14, Chicago Cop Shot 28 Times By White Officers Freed From Prison, Ways to get involved in the 2022 Election. A measure of justice for Bryce. Independence, Missouri - Video released on Monday shows a new view of the moment a police officer used a taser on a teenager. Former Independence, Missouri, Police Officer Timothy Runnels will spend 48 months in jail for a 2014 taser incident that left a teen in a coma after pleading guilty on June 1 to federal charges he violated the constitutional rights of a minor while in custody.The US Department of Justice released dashcam video of the September 14, 2014, arrest of Bryce Masters, then 17 years old, on June 6 . Bryce admits now that, given a potential lifetime of frustration, the thought crossed his mind. Bryce Masters used his mobile phone to record his encounter with Officer Timothy Runnels on September 14, 2014. Officer Runnels will pay a price for his murderous actions. Since then, he has trained at the Moody Health Center, become . Needle caught anything and everything thrown at him. When his mom noticed, he tried to explain how strange they felt. But after his interaction with Runnels, his friendships faded as his classmates realized how emotionally unpredictable hed become. He was waiting to learnhis fateafter pleading guilty to a federal crime he committed almost two years ago, on September 14, 2014. Mrs. Runnels had resided in Hudson most of her life. In addition to being a police officer, Martin also trained young boxers at a local gym. Weve all been duped. If no positive reviews are shown, then no reviews are currently on file. He would sleep for a bit, forget again, then look in the mirror. Masters was 17 at the time of the incident and had sued the city of Independence along with police officer Timothy Runnels, who shot the teen with a taser after Masters refused to get out of his car. We dont have ads, so we depend on our members 35,000 and counting to help us hold the powerful to account. The young man lived, and Matt was justified, the grand jury found, but even then, it made him extremely uncomfortable. The recent Tasering of then 17 year-old Bryce Masters by Missouri cop Timothy Runnels has sparked outrage in the community and around the world. Posted by 6 days ago. He and Stacy had been assured by the FBI that what Runnels did crossed the line. The 8th U.S. The video above shows Runnels approaching a pulled-over vehicle being driven by Bryce Masters, then 17, who was on his way to play video games with a friend. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. Given the grim initial prognosis, the Masters felt lucky. But, deep down, she understood what Bryce was up against. While the majority of law enforcement safeguards our communities with fidelity, the department will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute officers who violate their oath by using excessive force., This former police officer was trained and entrusted to enforce the law impartially, said U.S. Attorney Dickinson. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). First Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ketchmark asked the judge to impose the four-year sentence. He had done exactly what his parents told him to do. My beloved, trifling older brother cooked baby potatoes and while they were still hot he threw them one at a time at Needle whod catch them, spit them out and go on to catch the next. Told ya! he said. Who beat the shit out of me? He had to have done something.. He was just being completely uncooperative with the officer, the spokesperson told KCTV. Mostly Bryce struggled because he couldnt rely on his own memory of the incident. For Stacy, though, the worst part was looking at his limbs. NINTH GRADE HONOR ROLL: Elliott Anthony, Carter Bainter, Caleb Bennett, Peyton Black, Allena Blanton, Jesse Bryant, Kennidi Burkhart, Cameron Casto, Jacob Cline, Averey Cockerill, Nathan Cockerill, Jordan Cordell, Meghan Cory, Jake Daniels, Makenna Davis, Sara Dawson, Jonathan Donson, Michael . They wanted to spend the day down by the ballpark as a family. I can hear you, Bryce said. It was unbearable for Matt. They didnt realize how long Bryce had been without oxygen. According to the indictment, Runnels continuously deployed a Taser against Bryce while he was on the ground and not posing a threat to the defendant or others. It was the first time the Masters realized that Bryce had been repeatedly tased. Independence is bigger than it seems with about 117,000 residents, the fourth-largest city in the state but still has the feel of a tight-knit, middle-class community. Runnels wrote that he observed the vehicle to have darkly tinted windows, and that after Bryce partially rolled down his window, he detected an odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Runnels maintained that there was a warrant associated with the license plate, but FBI agents told Mattthat the plate number would have provided details for a woman, with a different car, from a different county. He mostly kept out of trouble and hung out with friends from school. More specifically, Matt learned that on October 12, 2009, Taser International, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based maker of conducted electrical weapons, released a training bulletin suggesting that officers should avoid shooting suspects in the chest whenever possible. Timothy Runnels, a police officer with seven years' experience in law enforcement, was on patrol in the area. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody. He was especially concerned about officers trained before 2009, who may have never been re-trained on updated information. Chiropractor Timothy Runnels D.C. Dr. Timothy D. Runnels grew up in Houston. He took a shot right to the heart, and that sent him into cardiac arrest.. It was a war of attrition. The Masters could see Bryces heart heaving up and down on the screen, an indication that he was going through cardiac arrest. (Sept. 14, 2014) At least three were sheared in half and several others badly chipped. Its the only thing we need, Matt remembered an agent telling him. Official websites use .gov Close. As his mom and dad moved in to take a closer look, he spat out little pieces of his teeth. He described a happy teenage life before this all happened, the life of a young man who was looking forward to his senior year of varsity basketball, and visiting colleges. 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. Even those who had heard it was theoretically possible thought it was a fluke, like getting struck by lightning. Matt Masters does not agree that the Taser use was reasonable, but he agrees it was common police practice. ', , that never see the inside of a courtroom, What's a cop to do when his son is beaten bloody by another cop? He and Stacy sat Bryce down. Runnels improper use of the Taser caused Bryce's heart to stop for eight minutes. The federal government isn't actually measuring how inflation is hurting rural America, Kansas City singer Ida McBeth, 'unmatched in melody and soul,' dies at 70, Jessie Montgomery, composing from a place of self-honor, After 18 hours, Kansas City police standoff ends with 1 man found dead inside house, Court Gets Unusually Specific On Police Taser Gun Use, Case Of Autistic Missouri Teen Who Was Tased After Stopping To Tie His Shoe Moves Forward, Jury Sides With Police In Tasing Case Of Maryville, Missouri, Teen With Autism, Juror: Jury In Tased Teen Case Wasnt Told Why They Couldnt Hold City Of Maryville Liable. 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.'. After getting the phone call from Ketchmark, Matt and Stacy talked about what type of punishment would feel like justice to them. He had to serve time. It was clear this was not a random stop; Runnels knew exactly who Bryce was. Runnels says, Youre under arrest. NINTH GRADE HONOR ROLL: Darren Abel, Elliott Anthony, Macy Aparicio, Carter Bainter, Caleb Bennett, Peyton Black, Zachary Bolen, Jesse Bryant, Courtney Carter, Cameron Casto, Jacob Cline, Broghan Cooper, Jordan Cordell, Meghan Cory, Audrey Craig, Jake Daniels, Makenna Davis, Jadyn Dawson, [] Two years? 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. They couldnt remove his breathing tube or bandages, so they focused on his chest. In a rare instance of a court denying qualified immunity to a government official, the 8th U.S. He graduated from said college in 2002. Thats what caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Hes going to prison., Matt and Stacey were obviously outraged by what happened to Bryce and dealt with the heartbreaking circumstances of his injury every day. You need to get up here.. In my heart of hearts, I felt like he was slipping away, she said. Masters went into cardiac arrest after Runnels used a stun gun on him after the teen refused to get out of his car. Interment will follow in the Largent Cemetery. 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. Officer Timothy Runnels flagged Bruce Master in 2014, but the incident led to the boy's cardiac arrest and long physical and emotional recovery after Runnels tasered him. As if possessed, Bryce slowly got out of the car and lay down on the pavement at Runnelss feet. Timothy Runnels, 32, previously pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of 17-year-old Bryce Masters. interacts online and researches product purchases Bryce Masters and his family at their home on June 2, 2016. During the otherwise unobjectionable story, Runnels said he and his friends decided to switch tactics and try nigger hunting instead. 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