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Mother: Man who received stun gun zap didn't deserve to die

Police say Randall Torrence, 34, was combative with officers

The mother of a man who died after police used a stun gun to try to subdue him Wednesday said her son did not deserve to die.
The mother of a man who died after police used a stun gun to try to subdue him Wednesday said her son did not deserve to die.
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Mother: Man who received stun gun zap didn't deserve to die
Police say Randall Torrence, 34, was combative with officers
The mother of a man who died after police used a stun gun to try to subdue him Wednesday said her son did not deserve to die.Randall Torrence, 34, of Kansas City, Kansas, was zapped twice after police said he became combative while they tried to get medical attention for him.Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Terry Ziegler said Randall Torrence kicked a female sergeant in the chest and hit three other officers.Barbara Torrence said she’s barely been able to sleep, thinking about her only son’s last moments.“That’s my loving son. He had his faults. We all have our faults, but he was still my son,” she said.Randall Torrence was taken to a hospital after the incident, where he died. Police said they won’t know what caused his death until toxicology reports come back.Officers said they were called to the scene of a disturbance at 13th Street and Quindaro Boulevard, where it was apparent Randall Torrence needed medical attention. He started fighting with crews who tried to load him into an ambulance. Officers said they used the stun gun on him twice.“To think that my son was tased and tased, you know, it does not do anything for my heart,” Barbara Torrence said.“These are normal, everyday people who serve as police officers,” said Ziegler.He said that after reviewing the details of what happened, he thinks the officers did the best they could.“They are not superheroes. They don’t have magic tools that enable them to do their job in some extraordinary way that nobody gets hurt, including themselves,” Ziegler saidBarbara Torrence said her son used drugs in the past, but she thought he had been clean for the past six months. Regardless, she wishes police had not used the stun gun.“Don’t get me wrong,” said Barbara Torrence. “He was no angel, but he did not deserve to die.”She said she will focus on funeral plans.“I am going to try and get my son the nicest sendoff I can, remember him always, and try and get on with my life in his memory,” she said.

The mother of a man who died after police used a stun gun to try to subdue him Wednesday said her son did not deserve to die.

Randall Torrence, 34, of Kansas City, Kansas, was zapped twice after police said he became combative while they tried to get medical attention for him.

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Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Terry Ziegler said Randall Torrence kicked a female sergeant in the chest and hit three other officers.

Barbara Torrence said she’s barely been able to sleep, thinking about her only son’s last moments.

“That’s my loving son. He had his faults. We all have our faults, but he was still my son,” she said.

Randall Torrence was taken to a hospital after the incident, where he died. Police said they won’t know what caused his death until toxicology reports come back.

Officers said they were called to the scene of a disturbance at 13th Street and Quindaro Boulevard, where it was apparent Randall Torrence needed medical attention. He started fighting with crews who tried to load him into an ambulance. Officers said they used the stun gun on him twice.

“To think that my son was tased and tased, you know, it does not do anything for my heart,” Barbara Torrence said.

“These are normal, everyday people who serve as police officers,” said Ziegler.

He said that after reviewing the details of what happened, he thinks the officers did the best they could.

“They are not superheroes. They don’t have magic tools that enable them to do their job in some extraordinary way that nobody gets hurt, including themselves,” Ziegler said

Barbara Torrence said her son used drugs in the past, but she thought he had been clean for the past six months. Regardless, she wishes police had not used the stun gun.

“Don’t get me wrong,” said Barbara Torrence. “He was no angel, but he did not deserve to die.”

She said she will focus on funeral plans.

“I am going to try and get my son the nicest sendoff I can, remember him always, and try and get on with my life in his memory,” she said.