Cardall’s death started a statewide discussion over the use of Tasers and the police response to the mentally ill. The Utah Legislature passed a resolution encouraging police departments to provide officers with better training in how to respond to encounters with those who have mental illness. Gov. Gary Herbert signed the resolution in a May 2011 ceremony with Cardall’s survivors in attendance.
Cardall, 32, died after Thompson shocked him twice as he stood naked and unarmed on the side of State Road 59, which runs from Hurricane to Fredonia, Ariz.
Cardall, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and his wife, Anna, were returning to their home in Flagstaff, Ariz., after attending a wedding in Salt Lake City when he began to act out. They pulled to the side of the road so Cardall could take some medication.
The couple got out of the car, leaving their daughter inside. Cardall, a doctoral student at Northern Arizona University, took the medication, but before it took effect, he became agitated and began removing his clothing. When he began darting into the roadway, Anna Cardall, aware it would take about an hour for the medication to work and fearing her husband might get hurt, called 911.
Utah's Cardall family settles lawsuit over Taser death
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