A man remains in critical condition after he went into cardiac arrest after being tased by Wauwatosa Police officers back on May 22nd.
"He wasn't violent that day or prior. He's never a violent person. He wasn't armed. I mean, we were at a cemetery," said his wife, who spoke to TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins on the condition that we didn't publish her name.
She said her husband, 37-year-old Johnny George, has been fighting for his life at Froedtert Hospital for nearly a month.
The family said it all started after they called 911 because of a medical emergency involving someone else.
"The EMTs were called, then the police arrived on the scene and events unfolded and Johnny was tased and now he's in the hospital in a coma," said Paul Kinne. He's the family's attorney.
Jenkins drove to Madison on Thursday to meet with him and to hear their side of the story for the very first time.
"It's unusual to have people at a cemetery and end up with somebody being tased and in the hospital for a month. That's very suspicious," said Kinne
Kinne says his law office is still in the process of learning all of the facts to determine if a lawsuit would be warranted.
Police say Johnny was tased while officers were working to break up a physical fight at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Wauwatosa on May 22.
A press release said Johnny tried to punch an officer with a closed fist. That's when a second officer decided to use the taser to stop what they called Johnny's "aggressive behavior."
Ryan Jenkins: The two sides of this story, if you will, are police saying there was a fight and others saying there was never a fight?
Paul Kinne: "As far as I know, the police are claiming there was a fight they tried to break up and Johnny lashed out at them. The other version I've heard is that there was no fight. Johnny didn't lash out at anybody but the police overreacted. Those are the two versions that I've heard so far."
Johnny's wife is now calling for justice.
"It's unbelievable because they needed their help."
As her husband, a father of two, remains in a coma roughly one month after the incident.
Wauwatosa Police say their investigation is ongoing and three police officers are on leave per department protocol. They add that the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team (MAIT), led by the Waukesha Police Department, is investigating the incident.
“I am proud of the professionalism displayed by these officers in a truly chaotic situation,” said Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGillis in a statement. “My thoughts are with the individual, their family, our police officers, and our community impacted by this tragic outcome.”
Back in March, Ryan Jenkins teamed up with the Associated Press (AP) to learn more after an AP investigation called "Lethal Restraint: An Investigation Into Police Use of Force." That investigation found 11 cases where "less-lethal" force, such as tasers, resulted in a person's death in Wisconsin between 2021 and 2021.
Johnny George's family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical costs. You can donate by clicking HERE.
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