By David Young-
A man tasered by police died moments later from complications related to cocaine ingestion, an inquest heard.
Sali Byberi, a father-of-three, died in Braintree, Essex, on 21 November.
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The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had previously said a Taser was discharged “multiple times” after he resisted being arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer.
Sali Byberi’s life was tragically cut short on a chilly November day, and as the details surrounding his death emerge, questions linger in the air, tainting the already fraught relationship between the public and the police.
It was on the 21st of November, in the quaint town of Braintree, that the promising future of Sali Byberi came to an abrupt end. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has revealed that Mr. Byberi’s life was extinguished in the wake of a tumultuous clash with the authorities.
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The chain of events that led to this heart-wrenching outcome started when two police officers from Essex Police were summoned to Clockhouse Way, Braintree, to quell a disturbance.
As the officers attempted to mediate the fracas, Mr. Byberi allegedly assaulted one of the law enforcement officers. In response to his resistance, a Taser was deployed, unleashing electrical currents to immobilize him.
The situation escalated, and Mr. Byberi’s health began to deteriorate rapidly. Paramedics were urgently summoned to the scene, but it was too late. At approximately 13:15, his life slipped away.
The provisional cause of death, according to a forensic post-mortem examination, was “complications resulting from acute cocaine toxicity.” It was a somber revelation that suggests an alarming connection between Mr. Byberi’s alleged drug ingestion and the fatal confrontation with the police. An inquest has been opened and adjourned, and the community awaits further revelations.
In the aftermath of this tragic event, the IOPC conducted a thorough investigation. Their preliminary findings revealed that a Taser was discharged “multiple times” as the officers grappled with Mr. Byberi. The details of this ordeal remain a subject of intense scrutiny, casting a shadow of doubt over the actions of those entrusted to protect and serve the public.
The impact of this incident extends far beyond the police tape, reaching into the lives of Mr. Byberi’s loved ones. He was the manager of a family car-wash business in Sudbury, Suffolk, and a beloved father to three children, a cherished partner to Leonora Mafra, and a loving brother to Eli Sokolaj.
Juliet Spender, a public law and human rights lawyer, is now championing the cause of justice for Mr. Byberi’s family. She aptly encapsulated the lingering sorrow when she said, “Sali’s family continue to be deeply affected by his death and understandably still have a number of questions.”
The unanswered questions, the persistent grief, and the void left behind are challenges the family must navigate in the wake of this heartbreaking loss.
This tragic event also draws attention to the use of conducted energy devices (CEDs), commonly known as Tasers, by law enforcement.
In the United Kingdom, Tasers were deployed an alarming 34,276 times in the 2021-22 period, with 3,175 of those instances resulting in discharge. This statistics raises questions about their use and the potential consequences when deployed.
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