Wrestling Stand-Out & Top Student Everette Howard Dies After Being Tasered by a University of Cincinnati Police Officer

Wrestling stand-out and top student Everette Howard dies after being tasered by University of Cincinnati campus police officer.

TRAGEDY: Everette Howard, who was set to attend the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY, died after being tasered by a University of Cincinnati campus police officer. He reportedly went into cardiac arrest after being struck by the Taser gun. Police were responding to reports of an assault. According to the media reports, Howard, a graduate of North College High School, was said to have approached a campus police officer with clenched fists.

Authorities at the University of Cincinnati said he was told to remain still, but continued to walk towards the campus officer. Everette was struck once by the Taser which can discharge an electric shock of up to 50,000 volts. When he collapsed to the ground the officer checked his condition, and in his report said he appeared incoherent and seemed to have an 'altered mental status'. Paramedics attended the stricken student and while they were with him he went into cardiac arrest. He was later pronounced dead at hospital.

Everette, who was a stand-out wrestler at his school, had been attending college preparatory classes at the University of Cincinnati. He is said to have finished in the top ten per cent of his class this Spring. Source: Daily Mail

If all he had was a clenched fist, then why did the officer feel threatened enough to use his Taser gun? Seems to me he had the kid cornered, considering he not only had a Taser gun but also a service revolver and a night stick. From what I have been able to gather, it is not clear if an assault really took place and what specifically led to the phone call in the first place. No matter how you view this situation, a promising life has been lost and that is a real tragedy.