Original Article Father questions Taser's use on son Judi Villa and Robert Anglen The Arizona Republic May. 5, 2005 12:00 AM The father of the man who died after Phoenix police shocked him with a Taser is questioning whether officers misused the stun gun by applying it for too long. Keith Graff, 24, died Tuesday, shortly after being struck with a Taser. His father, Terry Graff, said witnesses told him the Taser was held to his son for 45 to 60 seconds. The stun gun delivers a 50,000-volt burst of electricity that causes involuntary muscle contractions and momentarily incapacitates suspects. Because an autopsy is pending, it's too soon to say if the Taser contributed to Graff's death. But Terry said: "There's no other explanation. It was the Taser because it was left on too long." Coroners across the country have noted that repeated or sustained bursts from a Taser contributed to deaths. Doctors in Nevada and Florida have said the repeated Taser strikes can make it harder for suspects to breathe and ultimately contribute to cardiac arrest. Last year, a death in Clark County, Nev., raised questions about the way Tasers are used and about the lack of information available about the effects of multiple shocks. In Graff's death, police estimate the Taser was used for 20 to 30 seconds, until Graff stopped fighting with officers. Graff stopped breathing a short time later and was pronounced dead at a hos- pital. Sgt. Randy Force said there is a log on each Taser that can track how long it was used. That information will be part of the police investigation. However, Phoenix police's use-of-force policy does not specify how long a Taser can be deployed. "There's nothing that I know of that sets any time limit," Force said. "It's used until resistance stops." Officials at Scottsdale-based Taser International have maintained its stun guns have never been blamed as the "sole" cause of death, saying other factors such as heart conditions and drug abuse contributed to the deaths. Still, a growing number of deaths has caused civil rights advocates, human rights organizations and the media to question the safety of the stun gun and whether it can induce fatal heart attacks. Since 1999, 110 people have died after police Taser strikes. Medical examiners across the country and in Canada have implicated Taser in 15 of those deaths, according to an ongoing Arizona Republic analysis. Taser was called a cause of death in three of those cases and a contributing factor in nine others. In three other cases, examiners said they were unable to rule it out as a cause of death. Terry Graff said his son did not have any medical condition and although he had used methamphetamine in the past, he didn't believe Keith was using it again. Keith spent two years in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and was discharged about two years ago, his father said. "He was jumping out of airplanes with a 90-pound pack," Terry said. "You can't tell me he had a weak heart." His dad said Keith got mixed up with the wrong crowd after leaving the Army. He was released in February after spending nine months in jail for drug-related charges. Keith then failed to report for intensive probation and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On April 17, Officer Carla Williams came across Keith while investigating a criminal trespassing report at a north Phoenix apartment complex. Police said Keith shoved Williams into a doorway and fled. Officers tracked him to another north Phoenix apartment complex late Monday night, where Graff reportedly tried to run away, then fought with Williams. Officer Charles Anderson first touched Graff with his Taser then deployed the device until Graff stopped fighting, police said. Terry Graff said that although his son had problems, Keith's death "ain't right." "He was a good kid with a good heart," Terry said. "He didn't deserve what he got."