Of all those involved in this case, I was most interested in the reaction of Bryces dad who is himself a cop. Independence, Missouri, is an aging suburb, the kind of place wealthy residents of Kansas City used to move to. Just shoot them with the Taser, and its over and done with.. Stacy just looked on in horror. Bryce was still getting an MRI when a neurologist working on his case pulled Matt and Stacy into a private room and explained that she had calculated Bryces Glasgow Coma Score, a point system designed to gauge the severity of a brain injury. They couldnt hear the siren when Runnels turned it on, but they soon saw the Pontiac slowing down, pulling to the side of the road, stopping. 4. State police reinvestigated the case and found that a deputy who originally gave sworn testimony that Sanford drew an accurate diagram of the crime scene, later contradicted that testimony, the prosecutors offices statement said. Masters was able to crawl out of his car before falling unconscious face-down on the pavement. He was recording the interaction with his cellphone. As the boy went into cardiac arrest and technically died before paramedics resuscitated him, the aggressive cop was captured on video manhandling and stepping on the dying teens motionless body. I dont think Ill ever, ever be able to forget that., As hard as it was to watch, Bryce felt vindicated. Matt and Stacy were upset, but they believed the worst was over. According to the company, the preferred target area was changing for reasons that had more to do with the ineffectiveness of chest shots than any danger associated with them. Runnels also spoke last week and apologized to Masters and his family. She told the Masters that Bryce had scored a three. They hit play. The dashcam video showed officerssearching through Bryces vehicle asBryce was carted off in an ambulance. One woman looked down and covered her eyes with her hand. Its really bad, she said. Although sentencing guidelines called for a term of eight to 10 years, prosecutors recommended a sentence of no more than four years as part of the plea agreement. Matt assumed it was due to positional asphyxia a condition where breathing is inhibited because of awkward positioning or restraint. The practitioner's primary taxonomy code is 111N00000X with license number 9478 (TX). What happened to my teeth? he asked repeatedly. I felt like he would have cared for an injured animal better.. They assumed the paramedics had done CPR and that the situation was serious but under control. Some of Bryces memories are made and erased overnight, and sometimes more frequently. Joining is simple and doesnt need to cost a lot: You can become a sustaining member for as little as $3 or $5 a month. Then and only then well see an end to this crap. The truth is, Funnels should have been charged with attempted murder. Timothy Runnels, 32, previously pleaded guilty. Runnels may not have known it at the time, but Bryce was going into cardiac arrest. He graduated from said college in 2002. Matt suspected that once it was clear the warrant association to the car wasnt sufficient probable cause for an arrest, Runnels needed new justifications. Even on the night of Runnels sentencing, Bryce said, he was followed by an Independence squad car for at least 3miles. Organize a group to go to a meeting with your congressperson. While we are pleased that Mr. Runnels was held accountable for his actions, no one really wins in this scenario. Members of the Daily Kos group Support the Dream Defenders launchedfour ongoing projects: 1. ""He lives not only with memory deficiencies and other cognitive impairments, he has post-traumatic stress, extreme anxiety, and severe insomnia that makes interpersonal relationships challenging and difficult to an extent that they were not before his anoxic brain injury," the suit states." Today the video, which had never been played in any public setting, would be played in open court. Timothy is related to Carolyn Ann Runnels . It was unbearable for Matt. Then one morning in August 2014, after spending the night at a friends house in Independence, Bryce walked outside and approached his car, which was parked on the street. So the record clearly supported a denial of qualified immunity.. Stacy had no idea why his body was so contorted. They had seen the dashboard video and had a clear picture of what happened. I dont play games., Ive been tased a dozen times, Runnels said to Bryce. Being a convicted felon and losing the only career he ever aspired to was a significant punishment for Runnels, Hobbs said. Worse, they were afraid his emotional vulnerability would cause him to take his own life. It just may be too late. He no longer had the ability to adequately control feelings of anger, frustration, depression, and anxiety. Lets not wait until you or your family members are the victims before you join the fight. But in more recent comments to a state investigator, Tolbert said that he drew the crime scene and Sanford only drew the bodies. Theyre working it backwards. Matts experience as a cop taught him that officers can sometimes write themselves out of trouble through exaggerated and self-serving reports. The doctrine has effectively shielded police from all but the most egregious conduct and oftentimes it has shielded them from such conduct as well. Witness video of Independence officer Tim Runnels arresting Bryce Masters following a traffic stop Sunday in Independence. Nah, that cant even happen, he remembered saying. As part of his guilty plea, Runnels admitted that, while he . We hope that todays sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. Matt was furious. He knows there are manydeserving cases, especially involving minority victims, that never see the inside of a courtroom. He retired as a reporter in December 2022 after a 37-year journalism career. I cant tell you what is on there, Stacy remembered one agent telling them. report. Posted by 6 days ago. Matt once received a standing ovation after a grand jury cleared him of any wrongdoing in shooting a 16-year-old armed robbery suspect four times. He was mean, especially to his parents. It was easier for himto view Runnelss actions as an error of judgment exacerbated by ignorance. Runnels stepped back, stood straight, took a shooting position, and again grabbed his Taser from its holster. One of the obstruction charges dealt with the misleading police report. Their immediate concern was why a police officer would use one on their son. Facebook gives people the power. The agents arrived quickly and started taking pictures of Bryces mouth. While Taser International has updated its material to mention potential cardiac risks (as well as several other ways the weapons can cause injury or death), Matt sees that as mere fine print that neither the company nor many officers take seriously. Bryce Masters, then 17, was pulled over by Officer Runnels and was told that his car's license plate was linked to a suspect. And, when they do, theres someone on the receiving end of that., In his sons case, an officer is paying for his bad decision. Police said Morgan was belligerent and fired first, while Morgan said police started firing as soon as they saw his gun, and denied firing a shot, the report notes. At the age of 12, Ali discovered his talent for boxing through an odd twist of fate. For 30minutes, he had to take deep, long breaths, with his tongue depressed and a tube jammed down his throat, before the doctors felt he was out of the woods. Outraged, Stacy called the station and demanded to speak to the officers involved. These are only estimates, but the more you know, the more . No one said anything about avoiding the chest, and this was five years after Taser International officially changed the target area. Of course, no such luck for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sandra Brown(a pause to catch mybreath). Am I under arrest? His short-term memory loss was severe, and it exacerbated his emotional instability. The odds were still against them there was about a 50-50 chance that Bryce would emerge from the coma alive. President Obama signed into a law a small piece of our bill in December 2014. But Matt was grappling not only with his perspective as father and husband, but the fact that Runnels was a fellow police officer. For Stacy, though, the worst part was looking at his limbs. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark argued that the length of time that Runnels held down the Tasers trigger was an aggravating factor. Bryce was carrying a small amount of marijuana in a baggie. Unfazed, Bryce leaned his 6-foot-1-inch frame forward, his eyes focused on the makeshift projector. Bryces brain was deprived of oxygen for six to eight minutes while he was in cardiac arrest. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The defendant abused his authority as a law enforcement officer by depriving a minor of his constitutional rights and causing bodily harm, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. The Department of Justice included parts of our law in their reports on Ferguson, Missouri, in 2015. Id never heard of excited delirium until Taser International came along.. Matt peppered the FBI agents with questions during that first meeting, but he didnt receive many answers. He has worked on SWAT teams and has been part of Kansas Citys police narcotics unit, taking point on an estimated 1,000 search warrants during one three-year span. Once Bryce learned to drive again, Independence squad cars followed him several times, sometimes even pulling up next to him so the officers could smirk or wave. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. He found himself doing things out of character, like punching holes in the drywall at his parents house when he became frustrated. Rest in peace, Muhammad Ali. The next eight weeks were crucial to his recovery; doctors advised the Masters that Bryce would make his most significant gains in the first couple months after his injury. We are rapidly approaching the signature collection phase of our campaign to get the Over-Policed Rights Act on the California ballot. Give me your hand, youre under arrest, Runnels said. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. The video and other evidence presented at the sentencing demonstrates that Runnels then deliberately dropped the handcuffed victim face-first into the pavement. He took a shot right to the heart, and that sent him into cardiac arrest.. Runnels faced a dire sentence that day up to 10 years in federal prison. Miami Trace High School recently released the third nine weeks honor roll and honorable mention. He would sleep for a bit, forget again, then look in the mirror. Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer, sat at a large, rectangular defense table inside Courtroom 8B at the Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, late last month. Timothy Runnels, et al Case Summary On 06/17/2019 Bryce Masters filed a Civil Right - Other Civil Right lawsuit against Timothy Runnels ,. Bryce and his two siblings remained in the Independence school system. He would get terrible headaches, he had trouble sleeping problems that persist. Stacy was comfortable with Matt remaining at the scene, not realizing what she would face when she arrived at the hospital. Funnels would have shot him outright and or the response team may not have been as thorough. Missouri police officer Timothy Runnels was recently sentenced to four years in prison for tasing 17-year-old Bryce Masters. As Matt walked around the stadium without Bryce that Sunday, he saw several Kansas City cops he knew on patrol. Who beat the shit out of me? Get your ass out of the car, he said. He even argued that using the Taser for 20 seconds was reasonable because Runnels didnt have control of Bryce until it was over. The recent Tasering of then 17-year-old Bryce Masters by Missouri cop Timothy Runnels has sparked outrage in the community and around the world. During the third week of March in 2015, Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark informed the Masters that Runnels was going to face a grand jury. The video shook the convictions he had always held about law enforcement officers. Runnelss crime, depriving a minor of his civil rights, occurred when he dropped the dying 17-year-old boy on his face. (Sept. 14, 2014) Trying to go back to normal meant putting himself back in the community. While he was able to finish high school, he didnt have the motor skills for sports anymore, and his diminished ability to think critically made college unlikely. One punctured his chest, to the right of his midsection. Aside from dealing with a traumatic brain injury, Bryce has battled the perception that he is somehow responsible for the crime committed against him. INDEPENDENCE, Mo. He was a 1965 Each time, Stacy and Matt tried to gently remind him that he had been injured by a police officer. A former Independence police officer who injured a teen driver during a 2014 traffic stop was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison. After excessively tazing a fellow cops underage son during a traffic stop and slamming the handcuffed teen face-first onto the street, an overzealous officer was recently sentenced to four years in prison for violating the minors civil rights. The Taser discharge, meanwhile, caused Masters to suffer a convulsion and go into cardiac arrest. Tased in the Chest for 23 Seconds, Dead for 8 Minutes, Now Facing a Lifetime of Recovery. It was unacceptable the way hed talked to her. Last week we heard about former Independence, MO, police officer Timothy Runnels being sentenced to four years in a federal prison. Government officials enjoy broad protection against federal lawsuits, but a federal appeals court last week refused to extend it to an Independence police officer who was tagged with a $6.5 million jury verdict in a police brutality case. Runnels may have been a bad cop, but if he hadnt been given a device that Taser International had assured him was extremely unlikely to kill, then he might not have been tempted to shock a teenager who simply wanted to know why he was being arrested. (According to police spokesperson Capt. Medical staff furiously worked around him. Today's story doesn't involve a Taser related death. In hindsight, Matt was fixated on the Taser and not on the other evidence in front of him. Runnels had resigned from the Kansas City department under threat of termination in 2010. Matt imagined the stop every day. I dont understand, when you watch that video, how you could treat anybodys kid that way.. Dash camera video of the incident depicts Runnels handcuffing the minor after the taser deployment and then picking him up. 2021) Annotate this Case Court Description: [Kelly, Author, with Colloton and Melloy, Circuit Judges] Civil Case - Civil Rights Act. Eventually, Bryce went back to sleep. We need White people of good conscience to join the fight against police cruelty and unlawful behavior. He was just being completely uncooperative with the officer, the spokesperson told KCTV. I get a lot of sympathy from my black cop friends, like, this is what weve been saying about cops for a long, long time.'. His bike was stolen, and Ali told a police officer, Joe Martin, that he wanted to beat up the thief. He was dead, said Matt. The catalyst for the crime was the 23-second Taser deployment straight into Bryce's chest. A twenty-three second jolt of 50,000 watts ended his life for a short time resulting in irreparable brain damage. He had assumed he couldnt wake up on time, so his parents went without him. They wanted to spend the day down by the ballpark as a family. Why dont you just leave me the fuck alone?. Another officer put his head inside Bryces car and said, It stinks bad in there like marijuana. No one said anything about avoiding the chest, and this was five years after Taser International officially changed the target area and with an incident involving a local officers child providing a perfect example of what could happen. Everything Taser told them.. How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters werent on the beat? Four years is not nearly enough for condemning this young man to alifetime of pain and suffering, but it is so much more justice than so many others got. Officer Timothy Runnels stopped Bryce Masters, 17, in the Kansas City suburb of Independence, Missouri, on Sept. 14, 2014 because Masters was . He can recall family and friends coming in to offer their support, standing around his bed. "Well, you better learn how to fight before you start challenging people," Martin reportedly told him at the time. His face was swollen, with some dirt and asphalt mashed into his cheek. What did I do? It was hard to accept that a police officer, someone he was taught to trust, could injure him so grievously. The jury returned its verdict Friday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City after a week-long trial in the lawsuit brought by Bryce Masters against the former officer, Timothy Runnels. His use of excessive force violated both the publics trust and his oath to uphold the law. After going for so long without oxygen, at least some brain damage was inevitable. The ticking sound of the Taser continued. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 19-2242 (8th Cir. Rick Guilbault, the former head of training at Taser International, testified on behalf of Runnels that his use of the Taser was consistent with common practice and training. The Taser did this. The driver was then-17-year-old Bryce Masters. While the number of people killed in Taser-related police interactions is in dispute and its unclear what role the Taser played in a number of these deaths Amnesty International has put the figure at more than 500. Hes got his hand up on his car, his shades on, and hes looking pleased with himself, Stacy said. We saw as the officers dragged Freddie into the paddywagon,but yet no one will be held responsible for his death. Matt was irate, screaming, You bunch of fucking cowboys! at the officers assembled to gather evidence. Used both as a description of a state of mind as well as a medical diagnosis, excited delirium is a phrase that medical examiners sometimes use in official reports after a person is severely injured or killed in an intense police interaction. The lesson, Matt, is that it shouldnt have to take the near killing of your loved onefor you to acknowledge the pain and suffering of your fellow man. He wanted to prove himself, but he didnt know any of the details. I knew, in my heart, that I didnt do anything wrong to him, he said. If you have had a positive experience with Dr. Timothy D Runnels, DC, please use the green "Submit a Positive Review" button below to submit a review about Dr. Timothy D Runnels, DC. Needle caught anything and everything thrown at him. Bryce refused. A measure of. Matt believes Runnels should have never been hired by Independence after he resigned from Kansas City. As if possessed, Bryce slowly got out of the car and lay down on the pavement at Runnelss feet. Baristas at two Kansas City-area Starbucks locations plan to unionize. Then Runnels released Bryces armsand allowed him to drop face first onto the street. Instead, today's story involves an over-zealous cop whose use of a Taser caused irreparable harm to a teenager who had committed no offense. His mom and dad held his hand. The trial judge, however, denied Runnels motion, and the 8th Circuit last week upheld that finding. Timothy Kendall Runnels Addresses 56th St NE , Snohomish, WA Ridge Rd , Orondo, WA PO Box , Mill Creek, WA Relatives Laurin R McCrory Timothy Allen Runnels Matt H Runnels Helen Jean Runnels + 1 more Phone Numbers (425) nay - peek (425) nay - peek View phones View Tim's Current Address | View Tim's Phone Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium Contact your United States senatorandcontact your representative in the United States Congress. As part of his guilty plea, Runnels admitted that while he was employed as an officer of the Independence Police Department, he deprived the minor of his civil rights by deliberately dropping the minor face first onto the ground while the minor was restrained and not posing a threat to Runnels or others. Weve all been duped. Instead of putting faith in my own son, I put faith in that Runnels was a cop and that he knew what he was doing, and that he was a professional., Matt had such visceral feelings of loyalty and camaraderie toward his fellow officers that hed previously been comforted by the assumption Bryce was somehow at least partially culpable for what happened to him. Lack of training does not lead to intentional cruelty; lack of a functioning heart does. As he left Centerpoint Medical Center late Sunday afternoon, he walked with a noticeable limp, dragging his right leg behind him. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody. An officer may not continue to tase a person who is no longer resisting, threatening or fleeing, Circuit Judge Jane L. Kelly wrote on behalf of a three-judge panel of the court.