Deaths raise Taser questions: Spokane police used weapon on man who died after scuffle.

Byline: Jody Lawrence-turner

Apr. 17--The cause of Otto Zehm's death is still being investigated.

But because the mentally disabled janitor died after a scuffle with Spokane police, the city has been thrust into an international controversy over law enforcement use of Tasers, a gunlike electronic shock device.

Reports of deaths after Taser shocks have prompted scrutiny of the weapon, which is supposed to be nonlethal, and caused some agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, not to include it among its cache of tools.

Police fired Taser probes twice at 35-year-old Zehm during a March 18 scuffle at a Zip Trip convenience store. Acting Chief Jim Nicks said in a news conference that his officers used appropriate force.

Using a Taser twice on a person isn't an abuse of the device, said Erin Callahan, director of Amnesty International for the western United States. And while the human rights group contends that Tasers are sometimes used unnecessarily, Callahan said the primary concern is the ...