GREENWOOD, Ind. -- The family of a man who died two weeks after a Taser was deployed 16 times by a Greenwood police officer filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the officers involved and the city.
Charlie Todero, 30, had a run-in with officers at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Camby Street on May 29, 2016.
Officers said he was walking in and out of traffic, exhibiting what they called "strange and dangerous behavior."
According to the lawsuit, Todero was sitting on the curb reading a Bible when officers arrived on the scene. Todero began to walk away from the officers when one of them deployed his Taser 16 times over a three-minute period.
Todero was hospitalized in a coma for two weeks before he died. The Johnson County Coroner said Todero's death appeared to be natural, caused by liver issues and Hepatitis C.
Steven Art, attorney for the Todero family, says Charlie died of organ failure that was directly caused by the Taser.
"We altogether watched his last breath. I still can't wrap my mind around that that really happened. But it did. This cannot go unpunished like it never happened," said Teresa Todero, Charlie's mother.
The corporation counsel for the City of Greenwood, Krista Taggart, released this statement in reaction to the suit:
"The City of Greenwood is aware of the lawsuit filed this morning by the Estate of Charles Todero and the incident giving rise to it. It received a copy of the complaint this morning from media outlets and has not yet been served. The City disputes many of the factual allegations contained in the Complaint and denies all of its claims. Due to the pendency of litigation, the City will have no further comment at this time."
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