Nampa Police officials say an officer’s use of a Taser during a fight last weekend fell within department policy.
Witnesses of the incident expressed concern on social media about the police response to a fight outside the Ford Idaho Center around 2:15 a.m. Saturday following a concert. One man involved, Pedro Fernandez-Ramirez, later died in a Boise hospital.
The Idaho Press reports, officers involved are not being investigated and are still on duty.
Police claim officers did not use a Taser on Fernandez-Ramirez, but on another man who they say failed to obey orders during the fight.
The Nampa Police Department’s seven-page taser policy says officers must give a verbal warning before using a Taser, depending on the danger and urgency of the situation. The intent is to give the individual an opportunity to comply with orders before a Taser is used. After using a Taser, officers must put in a follow-up police report whether they gave a warning first, or explain why they didn’t, according to the policy.
