Lawsuit filed in death of 42-year-old man who was tased by sheriffs deputies while handcuffed
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - According to the lawsuit, 42-year-old Kenneth Anderson Jr survived not one, but two shootings. One at the age of 11 and the second where he was shot four times within the last five years.
The suit states Anderson is now one of more than 500 deaths caused by tasers since 2010.
"This is very, very hard because he was a good dad, he was always there for them and they killed him, they killed him for nothing," said Kristen Madison, the mother of Anderson’s children.
On October 10, Anderson was in a single-car accident. When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they arrested him for an open Justice of the Peace warrant.
It was for an unpaid fine of $279.70 for non-appearance in court for not having a driver’s license.
"He wasn’t even regularly tasered, it’s called drive skin where they stick the electrical nodes directly on your body and they pull that trigger and they send 50,000 volts directly into your body," said attorney George Edwards. "He received that kind of treatment after he had been handcuffed after he was placed in the police vehicle."
Edwards says deputies should have known Anderson was a former mental health defendant. His mental health disability includes bipolar and major depressive disorder.
An ambulance was called to the accident scene.
The suit states Anderson was cleared to be transported to the Harris County Joint Processing Center.
"He suffers a medical event, which leaves him completely unresponsive," said Edwards. "When he gets to the processing center, it takes an additional 35 minutes for the fire department to respond to that location."
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Anderson was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
"His mother had to bury him and not know how he passed away, that in itself is difficult," said Anderson’s sister, Nina Anderson.
"I just want to find out what happened to my son," said Anderson’s mother, Evelyn Woods. "I just want justice for my son."
The exact cause of Anderson’s death is pending autopsy results. The sheriff’s department told us it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.