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Sheriff: 'No Inappropriate Actions' In Death Of Suspect

POSTED: Wednesday, December 10, 2003
UPDATED: 5:22 pm EST December 10, 2003

More than a day after a 39-year-old St. Johns County man died in police custody, the St. Johns County Sheriff Neil Perry appeared before the media to say that the events of Tuesday morning were all done by the book.

Lewis KingPerry said his deputy fired two 5-second bursts with his Taser gun at Lewis King (pictured, right) after he refused to comply with instructions following a brief chase. Rescue personnel were called according to standard procedure, before King lost consciousness.

"I can't tell you how bad I feel, and these deputies feel, for Mr. King and his family," Perry said. "But we are not responsible for his physical condition," Perry said.

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Despite the families' very public complaint that King was targeted and killed, the sheriff said he had received no formal complaints of police brutality or inappropriate use of force in the incident.

Authorities said that King put a deputy's life at risk by speeding away, dragging the officer with him. The deputy got free when King's SUV slowed to make a turn and had only minor injuries, but King was pursued. Then a Taser gun was used to subdue him as he was captured.

While a final ruling was on the cause of King's death may take four weeks, Perry said the medical examiner told him King's body showed evidence of heart disease and a "massively enlarged heart."

The coroner said the Taser does not appear to have been a contributing factor in the death, according to Perry.

Earlier Wednesday, about 30 people, including the victim's grandmother, turned out Wednesday afternoon to lay a wreath at the scene where deputies apprehended King early Tuesday morning. She said she wants answers to her grandson's death.

Lewis family, friends bring wreathes"They killed him. And they're not going to give me no doubletalk. I want answers, and I want them straight," Lucille Sanks said.

Perry said the Taser was fired twice, and that the deputy tried to fire again after King, already in ankle restraints, tried to kick a deputy.

Perry said a search of the King's vehicle turned up a small amount of powered cocaine and a prescription drug bottle -- the bottle that the deputy during the traffic stop was pointing out when King was reported to have speed off, dragging the deputy three blocks. Perry also said King had several previous arrests for cocaine possession.

While the Sheriff's Office said the incident is still under investigation, it has not found any wrongdoing on the part of the deputies.

"There was no inappropriate actions that I'm aware of today on the part of deputy sheriff's at the scene," Perry said. He called them all very experience, seasoned officers.

Perry said he had no plans to suspend or transfer the officers involved. He also said said he saw no reason to call on an outside agency to investigate or reevaluating his department's policy on Taser use.

"I've been in the business for 36 years. This is simply the best tool that has come along as a less-than-lethal use of force to invoke compliance," Perry said.

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