A mother wants answers after Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies used a Taser on her son.
The family of Kevin Williams, 42, says he is now in Ben Taub Hospital in a coma.
“When I looked at him, he was all messed up on his face," said Abbie Ward, his mother.
Williams was transported to the hospital by Harris County deputies, then released and booked into jail on charges of criminal trespassing and evading arrest.
Then, after complaining of losing feeling in his legs, he was transported to the hospital again for treatment.
“I am very upset they tased him, they could have done something else," said Ward.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office released the following statement regarding the incident:
On Sept. 22, 2022, Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies were on patrol in the 600 block of Greens Road at 1:55 p.m. when they observed an apparent narcotics transaction between two men in a gas station parking lot. The deputies reported they recognized Kevin Williams, 42, who had previously been arrested at that location for criminal trespassing.
A deputy approached Williams and ordered him to stop. Williams attempted to flee from the deputy on foot and a brief foot chase occurred in a nearby retail parking lot. The deputy deployed his Taser, which connected with Williams, who then stumbled over a metal parking stop.
Deputies then summoned EMS to treat Williams for injuries he suffered during his fall, including an abrasion on his face. Deputies recovered less than 2 ounces of marijuana from the scene. Williams was taken by ambulance to HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest Hospital for treatment.
Williams remained in hospital care until Sept. 26, 2022 when he was taken to the Harris County Jail for booking on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing and evading arrest.
Williams told jail staff that he had no feelings in his lower legs, and he was taken to Ben Taub Hospital on Sept. 27, 2022, where he is undergoing treatment.
The use of force incident is currently being investigated by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs Division to determine whether all pertinent policies and procedures were followed.
“The question has been for the last 200 years, how do you safely and effectively stop those individuals and bring them into custody," said Dr. Jay Coons, a criminal justice professor at Sam Houston State University.
While he can’t comment on this specific case, he says Tasers, at times, are used for the suspect’s safety.
“Overall, it's been a tremendous tool for law enforcement," he said. "The really good news here, they’ve caused much less injury, damage to suspects than wrestling with a police officer, getting punched by an officer - or getting struck by a baton.”
Court records show Williams does have a criminal history going back more than 20 years, including a 15-year prison sentence for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.
In this case, deputies recovered less than 2 ounces of marijuana from the scene. His family doesn’t understand why something so small led to this.
“We need to know what happened in between those times – this is why we are demanding the viewing of the bodycam, so the family can actually see what transpired," said Dr. Candace Matthews, with the New Black Panther Nation.
The sheriff's office said the incident is still under investigation. It's up to the internal affairs division to determine if the department's use of force policy was followed.