Death Caused by Taser

FORT WORTH — A Fort Worth man's death just moments after he was shot by a Taser stun gun has been ruled a homicide, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner.

Michael Patrick Jacobs Jr., 24, was pronounced dead about noon April 18, two hours after his parents called 911 because he was causing a disturbance at their east Fort Worth home, according to police reports.

Police shot Jacobs twice with the Taser, one for 49 seconds and one for five seconds.

The medical examiner's report says Jacobs died of "sudden death during neuromuscular incapacitation due to application" of the Taser.

There were no drugs found in his system, according to the report.

When officers arrived, Jacobs would not cooperate with them, and one officer shot him with a Taser when he became combative, police have said.

After being shot with the Taser he fell down face first and later become unresponsive.

Family members have said that police used excessive force.

According to documents obtained by the Star-Telegram, a MedStar paramedic had reported that the defibrillator apparently did not work when they were attempting to revive him.

But a MedStar official said that the machine was operational and that the monitor did not register a reading, he said, because Jacobs' heart had stopped and because cellphone and radio transmissions at the scene could have interfered.