The New York state Attorney General says Catskill police officers will not be prosecuted in the 2021 death of Jason Jones, who died weeks after he was set on fire when a police officer used a taser on him.
The Attorney General’s office released its report on the incident Friday, concluding it would not be provable beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers committed a crime. But Democrat Tish James’ office recommends training for law enforcement officers on the safe use of Tasers and similar weapons.
The AG’s office says on the evening of Oct. 29, police responded to a 911 call for an unruly patron at a bar in Catskill: Jones. Jones ran from the officers and toward the village police station, where he pounded on windows, overturned a table, and removed clothing. As officers tried to calm him down over nearly half an hour, Jones rubbed alcohol-based hand sanitizer on his head and upper body. Police decided to take him into custody, deploying a Taser to disable him. The Taser ignited the hand sanitizer. Gruesome footage of the incident released in January 2022 shows Jones burning as officers run out of the room before returning with a fire extinguisher. Jones died from his burns weeks later.
James’ office says reckless manslaughter charges would require proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers were aware of the risk of ignition and consciously disregarded it, while criminally negligent homicide would require proving the officers failed to perceive the risk. James adds a Taser is not usually lethal and the footage shows the officers were stunned by the development. Moreover, training on the weapon does not warn against using a Taser around hand sanitizer.
James says although officers are required to undergo 700 hours of training, that does not include training for Tasers, which is typically provided by the manufacturer. James says the Office of Public Safety should formulate and oversee such training to prevent future incidents, along with studying the flammability of all substances the weapons could ignite.
