Cop Watch: Fort Worth Cop Who Tasered Mentally Ill Man to Death Still on Patrol, Police Dept. Closes Its Investigation Without Discipline

Remember the mentally ill man whose family called for help in calming him down — and who the cops Tasered, then sent EMS away?  The young man died — read all the details in our prior post.

Well, according to PoliceOne.Com, the Fort Worth Police Department has closed the file on Officer Stephanie A. Phillips without any disciplinary measures.  She remains out on patrol … you could see her today, protecting and serving in your neighborhood. 

The Fort Worth Police Department Never Removed The Tasering Cop From the Streets

As it shuts the file on its internal affairs investigation into the death of a young man by electrical shock imposed by one of its officers, the Fort Worth Police Department also revealed in its press conference this week that the officer was NEVER taken off the streets while the investigation was being undertaken. So, from April 2009 when Michael Jacobs died to today, when the internal affairs investigation closed, Officer Phillips was always out on the streets, never assigned to a desk job, while her killing of a man was reviewed.

Fort Worth Police Department officials admit that they MIGHT think again once the Grand Jury finishes with the case. The untimely death of 24 year old Michael Patrick Jacobs Jr., occured on April 18th of this year when Officer Phillips used a Taser TWICE on him.

According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Taser was used initially for 49 seconds and then again, for 5 seconds. They are practically a single shock since there was only a 1-second time gap between the times that Officer Phillips used her stun gun.

The Medical Examiner ruled this case a HOMICIDE. 

Meanwhile, the Medical Examiner has ruled this case a homicide.  That’s right.  According to the official report, Michael Jacobs was murdered by Taser.   

In the Medical Examiner’s official report, Officer Phillips told a detective after the incident that she “unknowingly kept the Taser trigger engaged for an unknown amount of time when she first applied the Taser, thus increasing the pre-programmed shock duration cycle of five seconds.”  When Michael Jacobs “continued to struggle,” [remember, the cops knew that he was mentally ill and might not understand them, might be very scared and terrified of them] Phillips warned him again that if he did not “cease fighting and comply with officers’ requests, she would shock him again, according to the report. When [Jacobs] failed to cooperate, Phillips shocked him a second time.”

Thank Goodness There are Others Involved in Seeking Justice Here

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved in the case, and the Police Chief has told the media that the Fort Worth internal affairs investigative report has been turned over to the FBI.  Bet that’s a big help, right?

The family of Michael Jacobs has sued the Police Department for his wrongful death, as well.  Perhaps between the civil action, the federal investigation, and the grand jury, we’ll hear a little more about the murder by cop via a Taser, and someone will explain why the Fort Worth Police Department hasn’t even slapped the hands of the officer that no one questions killed a man on April 18, 2009. 

Who else is shaking their head that a cop murders someone — it’s officially declared a homicide — and still, the cop never even gets moved to a desk while the investigation is undertaken by Internal Affairs????