Authorities: 87-year-old Ore. woman who died after stun gun shock had pellet gun, not real gun
By APMonday, July 12, 2010
Ore. woman shocked by stun gun had only pellet gun
PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon sheriff’s office says an 87-year-old woman who died after a deputy used a stun gun on her during a confrontation was armed with a pellet gun, not a real handgun.
Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies Steve Shelly and Alan Alderman responded to a call Thursday about a woman threatening a man working on a water line at the Boring, Ore., mobile home park where she lived.
The department says Phyllis Owens briefly set down the gun but picked it up again as deputies approached. That’s when Shelly used a stun gun to disarm her.
Sheriff’s Lt. Paul Steigleder II said Monday the deputies and other witnesses thought the pellet gun was a “fully functioning firearm.”
Owens died about an hour after being shocked. An autopsy determined heart disease was the cause of death.
The county’s major crimes team is investigating.
Information from: The Oregonian, www.oregonlive.com
