Date of Press Release:
Mon, 12/17/2012
Press Release By:
Captain Tom Easley

On Sunday, December 16, 2012, shortly after 2:00 A.M., Norman police responded to a request for assistance from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Upon arriving, police officers located a nude male, subsequently identified as George S. Morris, age 66 of Oklahoma City. Morris had been involved in an automobile accident and refused to communicate with the responding officers. (...)

"Refusing to communicate" indicates an assumptive position that George Morris 'decided' [ie, 'made a choice'] to not communicate. Which of course would make any response by the police look 'more justifiable.'

He subsequently attempted to cross I-35 on foot. After repeated commands to stop were ignored, officers used a taser to gain control of Morris.

Ignored, once again, indicates the person 'could hear, understand, and respond' but chose not to. Which, again, makes any action by the police 'more justifiable.'

In this case, the action being to get tasered.

Morris was transported to Norman Regional Hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead. The exact cause of death is currently unknown.

Before the tasering he was physically mobile, animating his body, and after the tasering he is dead. But his exact cause of death is 'unknown.'

The department is investigating the matter as an in custody death, and members of the criminal investigations division, professional standards, and the Office of the State Medical Examiner are involved in the investigation. The names of the officers will be released in the future pending further investigation.