Third Taser-Related Death Sparks Investigation in Italy

Genoa: Another individual has died after being shot with a Taser by the Carabinieri, marking the third such incident in Italy recently. The latest incident occurred in Sant’Olcese, on the hills above Genoa, involving a 47-year-old man of Albanian origins who died on Sunday evening.

According to Ansa News Agency, investigators suggest that the taser may have induced cardiac arrest in the man. Prosecutor Paola Calleri plans to open a manslaughter case shortly and has ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The Carabinieri unit at the Palace of Justice is currently managing the investigation.

This follows a similar incident involving a 57-year-old Sardinian man who died in an ambulance after being tasered outside the Red Valley Festival in Olbia on Saturday night. The man, identified as Gianpaolo Demartis, reportedly attacked several individuals at the venue and resisted police efforts to calm him before being tasered, which led to his cardiac arrest. Demartis had a history of drug-related offenses.

Sardinia’s ombudswoman for detained persons, Irene Testa, expressed concern on Monday, stating, “Another death by taser. It’s not the first time it’s happened. A few months ago, a 30-year-old man was killed. Electric shocks are used to control malaise, causing devastating physical and psychological effects. Sometimes death. Can the use of legalized torture instruments still be allowed?”