By C1 Staff
WASHINGTON — The use of stun guns at the Fairfax County Jail has been suspended after it was suspected they contributed to the death of a mentally ill inmate.
The Washington Post reports that the sheriff’s office is reviewing the policy on the use of stun guns.
Natasha McKenna, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was an inmate at the jail in February. She was shackled when she became combative with deputies who were attempting to transport her to Alexandria. The deputies shocked her four times with 50,000 volts and McKenna stopped breathing.
McKenna was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer. When Alexandria police did not act on requests for her transfer, the Fairfax deputies decided to transfer her themselves. They said her mental state was deteriorating.
McKenna had two previously violent encounters with deputies since being jailed, leading to a six-member extraction team to be sent to her cell. They struggled to control her, eventually putting her in handcuffs and shackles along with putting a mask over her face to keep her from spitting. She still fought back, refusing to bend her knees to be placed in a restraint chair. Finally, she was shocked with a TASER.
A medical team was brought in, but she had stopped breathing. She was revived by paramedics on the way to the hospital, but her heart had been stopped for 20 minutes. She was later removed from life support.
McKenna’s family said they wanted to see more training for correctional officers on how to de-escalate encounters with mentally ill inmates.
It’s unclear when the use of stun guns will be reinstated, but police are awaiting results of tests on the stun gun and medical equipment used in an attempt to revive McKenna.