Zachary N Bearheels, 29

Omaha, Nebraska
June 05, 2017

Agencies: Omaha Police Department Nebraska

Cause of death: Taser


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Last updated: over 5 years ago

Overview

Bearheels’ mother, Renita Chalepah of Oklahoma City, said she is heartbroken because she’d called Omaha police on Sunday, seeking their help with her son.

Omaha police have said Bearheels was acting erratically as police attempted to take him into custody. Full details from police are not yet available because the department has not completed all of its interviews.

Chalepah said she called Omaha police early Sunday afternoon after her son didn’t get off the bus in Oklahoma City. She had been waiting for him at the bus station and learned from another passenger that he’d been ordered off in Omaha.

Chalepah said she remained in contact with Omaha police throughout the afternoon and into the evening. She spoke with her son — while he was with police — a few hours before he died. She said she could tell by his voice that he’d gone off his medications.

“I heard him say ‘Mama, mama,’ And then another voice.”

Her son was bipolar and schizophrenic, she said.

She said she asked officers to take him to the bus station or a crisis center. Her son was frightened of police but was accustomed to going to a crisis center, she said, because that’s what police in Oklahoma do. Omaha police, she said, told her they couldn’t place him under emergency care because he wasn’t a threat to himself or others.

“When I found out this (Monday) morning what happened to him, it broke my heart, because I kept in touch with these people,” she said. “What happened to my son? Why did they tase him like that?”

Omaha police spokesman Officer Phil Anson said the full details of the encounter between Bearheels and police will be released once police interviews are completed. Four officers were involved in Bearheels’ arrest. One has been interviewed. The rest will be interviewed this afternoon. All four are on paid administrative leave. Their names have not yet been released by police.

In a preliminary press release, police describe the incident his way:

Officers were called to the Bucky’s at 12:36 a.m. Monday to handle a disturbance in which a man was refusing to leave.

When they arrived, officers took the man into custody. He had been reported missing by family and was displaying erratic behavior, the release said.

About an hour later, at 1:32 a.m., officers requested additional help at the scene.

Ten minutes later, they requested an ambulance after a Taser use. The man was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center with CPR in progress. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

As required by state law, a grand jury will be convened to investigate the officers’ actions.

Bearheels’ mother said her son was fine when he left Oklahoma to go to South Dakota.

“He has traveled to South Dakota before,” she said. “He’s stable when he’s on his medications. He can think on his own, he can function. Otherwise, I would never let my son get on the bus with him being mental like that.”

Bearheels’ family wants a full accounting from police, his aunt, Tracy Poafpybitty, said, including any camera images, witness statements and police policy on the use of Tasers.

“We are all in shock because he was supposed to come home and he never made it,” she said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska released a statement Monday calling for a thorough investigation, a review of the department’s policy and police training on de-escalation.

“Unfortunately, the (Omaha Police Department’s) policy does not have clear written guidelines for use of a Taser on people experiencing a mental health crisis, people using medication to address mental health issues, or people under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” said Danielle Conrad, executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska. “This is a reminder that Tasers are lethal weapons and that they should only be used as a last resort.”

The group released a report in 2014 on the use of Tasers by Nebraska law enforcement agencies. It said 47 of 63 Taser incidents from six agencies within a year and a half were inappropriate. The Omaha Police Department was not one of the agencies evaluated.

The Omaha department’s guidelines for officers using Tasers are outlined in seven pages of the department’s policies and procedures manual.

Officers must have at least two and a half years of law enforcement experience to carry a Taser and must score at least 80 percent on an annual proficiency exam, among other requirements. Anson, the police spokesman, said not all uniform patrol officers are equipped with Tasers.

Legal Action

June 2017 Douglas County attorney: Death of man tased by Omaha police raises ‘serious concerns' about use of force

June 2017Officer had body camera turned off at scene of Taser incident, a violation of department policy

Scotty Payne, who used a Taser on the handcuffed Bearheels, was the sole officer with a body camera, said Capt. Kerry Neumann of the Omaha Police Department. It’s not clear when or why Payne’s camera was turned off.

July 2017 Coroner says man Omaha police used Taser on 12 times likely died from 'excited delirium'.

November 2018  Fired Omaha Police officer Scotty Payne's trial will begin tomorrow, November 26, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. Payne is the officer who tased Zachary Bear Heels 12 times in violation of OPD policies.

Community and Family Efforts

#NativeLivesMatter

FamilyFuneralFund

Amnesty International Torture weapons 

June 2017 Funeral

July 2017 Petition

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