Man hospitalized after being tased by Richmond County deputies
Just months after a man died while being tased by a Richmond County deputy, another man is in the hospital with complications from a similar incident.
On Friday, Dec. 16, deputies responded to the 1900 block of George Road for a disturbance. A press release from the sheriff's office notes the man was threatening to harm his family, was being aggressive and had an outstanding petition for mental evaluation.
After allegedly refusing to comply with orders given by deputies, there was a struggle and the man was tased, according to the release. He became unresponsive and deputies performed CPR until an ambulance arrived.
The man was admitted to Augusta University Medical Center and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested to conduct an investigation.
GBI spokesman Nelly Miles identified the man as Nelson Lee Graham, Jr., 33, of Augusta. He also confirmed that the GBI's investigation is active and ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be given to the Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
Taser death in October
The incident comes just months after the death of a man tased by Richmond County deputies in October.
On Oct. 16, deputies stunned Christopher Tyrone Blount, 45, who later became unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene. The deputy who deployed the stun gun was placed on administrative leave.
About a year prior, Jermaine Jones Jr., 24, died in October 2021 after suffering head injuries in an incident during which Richmond County deputies used a stun gun.
Commissioners approve more tasers: Augusta officials approve more stun guns for sheriff's office after man's death in October
What it feels like to be tased: 'Smacked in the back with a paddle': Stun guns often used by Richmond County deputies
Four Richmond County deputies were placed on administrative leave. The GBI investigation into Jones' death was turned over to Augusta District Attorney's Office.
Jones was stunned in the back by a stun gun before falling to the ground, noted reports. The family claims deputies were hitting and punching Jones while trying to handcuff him, according to a previous Augusta Chronicle article.
Commissioners approve more stun guns for Richmond County deputies after deaths
Despite the two deaths in Oct. 2021 and Oct. 2022, commissioners approved a request from the sheriff's office to purchase 20 new stun guns in November.
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office requested the county allocate more than $50,000 for the implementation of the Justice Assistance Grant Taser 7 program. This program is "designed specifically to enhance existing crime prevention and enforcement units," according to the grant proposal.
The sheriff's office stated the devices will help the agency progress toward the goal of 100% total issuance to all sworn deputies.
In October, the sheriff's office said all certified deputies, not including jailers, are issued stun guns as part of their everyday equipment and jailers are equipped with the devices during their shifts.
Sheriff Richard Roundtree did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Augusta Chronicle related to the grant.
Sheriff's office reports show that deputies used stun guns:
55 times in 2017
59 times in 2018
45 times in 2019
58 times in 2020
61 times in 2021
53 times in 2022 (as of Oct. 26)
Law enforcement in Savannah, which has a comparable population to Augusta, uses stun guns less frequently.
Out of 415 officers, 260 have department-issued stun guns. The deployments are issued below going back to 2020, according to Bianca Johnson, public information coordinator for the Savannah Police Department.
Savannah Police Department officers deployed stun guns:
40 times in 2020
32 times in 2021
28 times in 2022 (as of Oct. 27)
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Taser by Georgia deputies results in man in hospital
