Columbia, Missouri—as part of a settlement agreement reached last month, the city has agreed to pay Phillip Lee McDuffy $300,000 after police critically injured the man in 2008 with a Taser gun. Overall, the city will pay $233,544.63 for the injury and $66,455.37 in overdue child support payments that McDuffy was unable to fulfill because of his severe injuries.
According to previous news articles, McDuffy was critically injured on July, 25 2008 after police shocked him with a Taser gun, which caused him to fall 15 feet off a pedestrian walkway over an interstate in Columbia, MO. As a result of the fall, McDuffy broke his jaw, both arms, and suffered an orbital fracture. After the incident, McDuffy underwent three surgeries, and according to his attorney, has yet to regain the normal motion of his arms, with his dominant armed “locked” at the elbow.
A police investigation concluded that the Taser gun was used appropriately. Furthermore, no police officers were found at fault and no disciplinary action was taken. While the Columbia police have no comment on this particular accident, they have acknowledged two other instances of improper Taser use and have agreed to adopt new guidelines for using the device.
