- Louisville Metro Police officers tased a man so many times, his horrified children asked if he was dead.
- The Department of Justice probe found the vicious tasing traumatized the children.
Louisville police officers tased a man so many times, his "traumatized" children cried out asking if he was dead, according to the shocking results of a Department of Justice probe.
The investigation found that the officers were responding to a domestic violence call involving a knife. But when they arrived on the scene, there was no fight occurring.
According to the DOJ, "Officers made no attempt to investigate what had happened, but rather walked up to the man and immediately told him, 'Put your hands up here.'"
When the man calmly asked why, officers did not answer and instead grabbed him, putting the man on the ground and tasing him three times.
The report alleges: "They gave no warning before deploying the taser and gave the man no opportunity to comply in between the tasings."
After the man screamed, begging the officers to stop, the officers handcuffed him.
The DOJ investigation says the man's five children were in the house and cried out: "Is he dead? Is my daddy dead?"
The man later told officers he would have complied if officers had asked to talk to him.
The incident was reported in a DOJ investigation published Wednesday after a years-long investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department following the death of Breonna Taylor at the hands of police.
The probe found numerous horrifying incidents of police abuse and constitutional violations, including one instance in which a cop admitted he "beat the shit" out a drunk woman but was never disciplined. According to the DOJ, in most of the "problematic incidents" reviewed, "supervisors reviewed the conduct at issue but failed to identify the misconduct."
The police department released a statement from Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel in response to the DOJ investigation, saying it "will continue our efforts in improving public safety in Louisville and making LMPD the premiere police department in the country."
Gwinn-Villaroel added that the "process of reform is complex and will require sustained effort."
"Improvement will not occur overnight and will require clear goals and objectives. To this end, we are committed to work collaboratively and earnestly with all necessary parties," the statement read.