Father of dead suspect questions multiple use of stun gun by police

PHOENIX – A father whose son died after being shocked multiple times with Taser stun guns is questioning the police officers’ repeated use of the weapons.

Keith Graff, 24, was shocked at least twice Tuesday and appeared to stop breathing, police said. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead within an hour.

An autopsy will determine whether Graff was under the influence of drugs when he died or if he had a medical condition, which his father disputed.

“There was no weak heart or illness issues involved with my son,” Terry Graff said.

Keith Graff was suspected of assaulting a police officer and had run out a back door of an apartment when officers tried to arrest him early Tuesday.

The death came amid increasing national debate over police use of Tasers. According to a report released by Amnesty International in March, there were 13 Taser-related deaths in the U.S. and Canada in the first three months of this year – compared with six during the same period last year.

Stun guns produced by Arizona-based Taser International are used by more than 6,000 law enforcement agencies worldwide. The company has stood by studies demonstrating the safety of its weapons.