The Michigan state trooper accused of tasering 15-year-old Damon Grimes, who died when his all-terrain vehicle crashed, resigned, and two other troopers involved in the incident are suspended, the Detroit News reports.
Three Detroit police source told the news outlet that one of the suspended troopers, who is a sergeant, is under investigation by Detroit police for throwing away evidence from the scene.
According to state police, Grimes was illegally driving his ATV on street in his Detroit neighborhood on Aug. 26. Trooper Mark Bessner fired his stun gun at the teenager when he didn’t comply with an order to stop the vehicle. Grimes crashed into a flatbed and died from head injuries.
A stun gun shoots two prongs attached to two wires, which deliver up to 50,000 volts of electricity. An expert told the news outlet that the prongs typically contain DNA evidence from the individual it strikes.
The sergeant, who supervised the scene, collected one of the prong and wire pairs and tossed it in the trash at a state police post. The other prong and wire were taken into evidence. Investigators are trying to figure out if the sergeant was trying to conceal evidence, The Detroit News reported.
Officials are awaiting the results of the probe to determine how to charge the sergeant. Investigators will likely seek misdemeanor charges if the sergeant did not intend to cover up evidence, a source told the news outlet.
A Michigan State Police spokesperson said the department suspended Bessner on Aug. 28, and he resigned on Sept. 22. The sergeant and the other trooper were suspended on Sept. 26.
SOURCE: Detroit News
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Michigan Trooper Probed For Disposing Evidence In Teen’s Death was originally published on newsone.com
