Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Police Use Gun Instead of Taser? Long Before Daunte Wright, It Happened in Madera.
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 4 years ago on
April 13, 2021

Share

Two decades before Daunte Wright, there was Everardo Torres in California’s Central Valley.

Torres, a 24-year-old professional boxer who lived in Madera, was killed by a police officer who thought she was firing a stun gun in 2002.

Everardo Torres was killed on Oct. 27, 2002.

Changes in practices and equipment have been made throughout the county since Torres’ death to prevent police from firing the wrong weapon.

But that’s how Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, died Sunday in suburban Minneapolis, according to since-resigned Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon.

The chief said he believed the officer “had the intention to deploy their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet.”

It Happens About Once a Year

According to law enforcement experts, an officer mistakenly shoots a suspect with a firearm when he or she means to use a stun gun about once a year nationwide.

When Torres was killed, Madera Police officer Marcy Noriega holstered her Glock firearm and her Taser on the same side of her body — the dominant side.

In an effort to reduce the potential for confusion, officers now typically carry stun guns on their weak sides — or the non-dominant hand. Handguns are carried on the strong side. In addition, stun guns are often brightly colored to distinguish them from firearms.

The weapons of the veteran officer who killed Wright were holstered on opposite sides and required much different finger pressure to fire.

Upon firing, officer Kim Potter immediately realized her lethal mistake. Potter’s body-camera video showed her pointing a handgun at Wright during a traffic stop and shouting “Taser.” She then screams a curse word and “I just shot him” to other officers.

Potter resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department on Tuesday.

Torres Killed While Handcuffed in Cruiser

Torres died while handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser. Officers had gone to break up a loud party and Torres was arrested after allegedly scuffling with police. With Torres kicking the cruiser’s doors and windows, Noriega’s goal of quieting Torres’ unruly behavior with a stun gun culminated instead with a deadly bullet.

Noriega was never charged with a crime but was on administrative leave for several years before returning to the department.

After Torres’ homicide, his family waged an 11-year legal battle against the city of Madera. In 2013, the lawsuit was settled, with the family receiving $775,000.

Officers Sometimes Convicted of Manslaughter

But officers who said they mistakenly killed citizens when they thought they were deploying stun guns have faced stiff legal consequences.

For example, a transit officer in Oakland killed Oscar Grant in 2009. The officer, Johannes Mehserle, testified at trial that, fearing Grant had a weapon, he reached for his stun gun but mistakenly fired his .40-caliber handgun. A jury convicted Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced him to two years in prison. His department paid $2.8 million to Grant’s family.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a volunteer sheriff’s deputy, Robert Bates, killed an unarmed Eric Harris, who was being held down by other officers, in 2015. Bates was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. Tulsa County agreed to pay $6 million to Harris’ estate.

(Associated Press contributed to this report.)

DON'T MISS

California Limits Junk Fees: New Law Blocks Fines for Declined ATM Withdrawals

DON'T MISS

Research Finds Vaccines Are Not Behind the Rise in Autism. So What Is?

DON'T MISS

New ‘Superman’ Trailer Is Most Watched for Warner Bros., DC Comics Online

DON'T MISS

Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There.

DON'T MISS

Amazon and Starbucks Workers Are Striking. What Does It Mean for Labor Under Trump?

DON'T MISS

CalFire Shares 2024’s Top Images. See Highlights of Intense Wildfire Season.

DON'T MISS

While Sherrod Motors to Boise, Entz’s Bulldogs Add a Coach, Transfers, Recruits

DON'T MISS

California and Texas Duke It Out for Worst State to Raise a Family

DON'T MISS

Musk Slams ‘Wokepedia’ for Biased Editing, Urges Donation Boycott

DON'T MISS

Explore the Holiday Magic in California’s Death Valley

UP NEXT

Amazon and Starbucks Workers Are Striking. What Does It Mean for Labor Under Trump?

UP NEXT

While Sherrod Motors to Boise, Entz’s Bulldogs Add a Coach, Transfers, Recruits

UP NEXT

Musk Slams ‘Wokepedia’ for Biased Editing, Urges Donation Boycott

UP NEXT

What Goes on at Fresno County School Board Meetings? It’s Hard to Tell

UP NEXT

Fresno Authorities Seeks Public’s Help to Locate Family of Deceased Man

UP NEXT

Illegal Immigrant Faces Murder Charges in Death of Woman Lit on Fire in NYC Subway

UP NEXT

$1M Investment in Fresno Lender to Help Small Businesses Get Funding

UP NEXT

Fresno State Tossed by Northern Illinois in Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

UP NEXT

Bill Clinton Is Hospitalized With a Fever but in Good Spirits, Spokesperson Says

UP NEXT

Media Relations Expert Leaves City Hall for Valley Children’s Hospital

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There.

3 hours ago

Amazon and Starbucks Workers Are Striking. What Does It Mean for Labor Under Trump?

3 hours ago

CalFire Shares 2024’s Top Images. See Highlights of Intense Wildfire Season.

21 hours ago

While Sherrod Motors to Boise, Entz’s Bulldogs Add a Coach, Transfers, Recruits

21 hours ago

California and Texas Duke It Out for Worst State to Raise a Family

22 hours ago

Musk Slams ‘Wokepedia’ for Biased Editing, Urges Donation Boycott

22 hours ago

Explore the Holiday Magic in California’s Death Valley

22 hours ago

Visalia Unlicensed Driver Smashes Into Home. No Injuries Reported.

23 hours ago

Penn State’s Schumacher-Cawley Is 1st Female Coach to Win NCAA Volleyball Title

24 hours ago

Myles Turner Hits Late 3-Pointer, Scores 23 as Pacers Beat Warriors

1 day ago

California Limits Junk Fees: New Law Blocks Fines for Declined ATM Withdrawals

Californians who try to withdraw money but don’t have enough in their bank accounts won’t fall deeper into a financial hole from...

1 hour ago

1 hour ago

California Limits Junk Fees: New Law Blocks Fines for Declined ATM Withdrawals

An autistic boy with his mother at home in Texas, Aug. 5, 2023. There is no blood test or brain scan to determine who has autism, and with no singular cause, there is no singular culprit behind autism’s rise. (Callaghan O'Hare/The New York Times)
1 hour ago

Research Finds Vaccines Are Not Behind the Rise in Autism. So What Is?

2 hours ago

New ‘Superman’ Trailer Is Most Watched for Warner Bros., DC Comics Online

The SpaceX starship rocket near the Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, Feb. 21, 2024. Employees of SpaceX have filed a formal petition to create the city of Starbase. (Meridith Kohut/The New York Times)
3 hours ago

Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There.

3 hours ago

Amazon and Starbucks Workers Are Striking. What Does It Mean for Labor Under Trump?

21 hours ago

CalFire Shares 2024’s Top Images. See Highlights of Intense Wildfire Season.

21 hours ago

While Sherrod Motors to Boise, Entz’s Bulldogs Add a Coach, Transfers, Recruits

22 hours ago

California and Texas Duke It Out for Worst State to Raise a Family

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend