Why Did Andrew Torres Die?
Andrew Torres died during a confrontation with police where he was tasered after becoming combative. Police had arrived on scene after Torres’ family had called authorities to have the man involuntarily committed. In the ensuing mayhem one officer was injured and both he and Torres were taken to the hospital where Torres expired.
Plenty of people get tased and don’t die so I’m going to go out on a limb and say there’s more to the story. Torres was said to be mentally ill but his behavior seems like that of a drug user:
Monday night’s incident wasn’t the first time Torres ran into trouble with police.
Two other incident reports state he’s been violent with officers in the past. In 2008, a report stated he pulled a knife on officers. During that incident, the report shows officers used a Taser then to subdue him.
In 2004 police arrested Torres in 2004 for assaulting a police officer in Washington, D.C.
Torres’ family said they’ve worked with NAMI to get help for him for years.
Fletcher Mann with NAMI said the family was at the “end of their rope.”
This isn’t the first time they’ve tried to commit Torres.
While police are looking at their Taser policy, the coroner’s office reported the cause of death is “still pending.”
The coroner is waiting for toxicology tests, results from a Taser analysis and other test results to make a final determination.
The “NAMI” referenced in the article is the National Alliance for Mental Illness, which is a left-wing advocacy organization that supports significant increases in public spending on the mentally ill (with money created from thin air I suppose) and a cultural shift where we start treating the mentally ill like a special interest group. In other words it’s an outreach program designed to milk votes from a population they hope to ghettoize and keep dependent on them. One of the things NAMI advocates is that rather than police deal with people they deem mentally ill there should be “crisis intervention teams” (paid for by higher taxes?) that would train police to talk them down.
That team would never actually put their own training into action for fear of being stabbed to death by Torres who has a history of violence, but why let painful reality spoil leftist fantasy?
That’s an aside though. The toxicology results will be interesting, as I am sure many suspect Torres was on some sort of drug that effected his cardiovascular system. After all he’d been tased before so between then and now something had to have changed.
The vultures are circling this one already. NAMI is already pimping their services, and a host of anti-cop groups are organizing on the forums to start “demanding” justice, which I guess would have been to let Torres kill some innocent person as he got more and more out of control. But I’ll wait for the coroner’s investigation to be complete before making any judgment. Except this, cops have a right to defend themselves from people attacking them just like I do.
And I don’t tase people who are threatening me and have a history of getting stabby.
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12 Responses to “Why Did Andrew Torres Die?”
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To politicize the death of a tormented man is beyond disgusting. Characterizing Andrew Torres, a lifelong resident of Greenville from a well respected family, as merely a dangerous derelict is irresponsible use of the public forum. Andrew and his family are known and appreciated throughout the city of Greenville.
Your spin on an advocacy group for the mentally ill disparages the group as liberal (which I know is code for evil) because it seeks public funds. Where do you think police funding comes from? Tax dollars. Tax dollars paid for the tasers.
Then you finish up your rush to uninformed judgment, flush with the self import of a NASCAR nostradamus, by condemning what you believe will be an uninformed rush to judgment. Either you are fantastic at satire or you fail to see your own hypocrisy.
This is a tragic event. This is not a political rally and should be afforded the dignity it deserves.
Can you read? I never said he was a derelict, but his CRIMINAL HISTORY which includes pulling a knife on some cops and assaulting one in D.C. does prove he’s dangerous, no?
Your second point makes no sense. I disparage the group because they are using the mentally ill to make money and push an agenda, I’ve worked in non-profits, I’ve seen this show. And cops being paid for by taxes and political groups getting tax money are two different things, right?
I’m sure the third paragraph is the kind of thing your lazy creative writing teacher pats you on the back for (and since I’m Black I find the NASCAR reference highly offensive, you sir are a racist)but again it makes no sense. How is it hypocritical to say that since a person was tased before and nothing happened that there must be some other factor involved in this death? Do you know what hypocrisy even means?
If you thought it deserved dignity maybe you’d tell NAMI to stop injecting themselves into it in a fund-raising ploy.
Something had to change? How about this incident, he was tased SIX times! Where is your compassion
for people? Schizoprenia affects people by causing auditory and visual hallucinations, and
sure, maybe that is something that happens to drug users but for you to jump to the assumption maybe he was high?
makes me cry. You, as well as Greenville co, need to do your research on the mentally-ill.
The only good come from this, may be simply that Mr Torres will no longer suffer thru life with
demoms controlling him, via a disease he did not ask for or cause. Poor man was torturted daily in life, and here you
are smearing his name after his passing, suggesting drug-use…
Let’s hope its an issue you never have to deal with, but you are devestatingly mis-informed about the mentally ill.
They’re not all homeless. They’re from all walks of life. The only ones you hear about are the unmedicated, that DO end up
homeless and become violent bc they have no support. We’re all human. Hope your judgements make you feel like a better writer.
Again, I never said he was homeless. Obviously you morons are reading a comment somewhere that claims I said something I didn’t.
I said cops have to do what they have to do. This guy assaulted one already and pulled a knife on another. Tasers aren’t magical and many people, specifically people who are high or mentally ill, resist tasers and can fight through the pain.
Many people who are mentally ill self-medicate. I ma educated on this, while you’re a reflexive whiner.
The funny thing is I didn’t see a bunch of you guys complaining when that cop got stabbed last week. Weird. It’s almost like you don’t care about cops getting hurt but wait for some incident to pretend they did something wrong.
I didn’t mean to back you into a corner by pointing out your mistakes with the result being you hurl more uninformed insults. I’m sorry for offending.
For the record, the prior incident you keep referring to with a knife happened in his own home with police called by family to keep him from harming himself. The knife was not “pulled” on a police officer.
In this instance, police knew what they were responding to. They knew he was mentally ill and they knew he was unarmed. Three policemen were sent in an obvious acknowledgement that physical struggle would be likely. Why else would they send three?
Look, you started this site to champion cops and the lock everybody up mentality. We all know where you stand. Just voice your right wing agenda with some of the Christian grace that your party claims to have a monopoly on.
I’m a Pagan myself so your “Christian grace” crap doesn’t factor into my judgment.
You haven’t pointed out any mistakes, just pretended I said something I didn’t. I never claimed Torres was homeless or a derelict, just that he had a history of needing to be subdued, was dangerous to himself and others, and that since he had been tased before I’m curious as to if there is some other factor which caused him to die. Remember, he died a significant time after being tased, so it’s not like he was electrocuted.
What does the fact that cops knew he was going to struggle have to do with anything? It seems like you’re claiming that cops should get beat down, take their lumps and keep their mouths shut. I guess that’s “left wing agenda” as is using this guys death to raise money for an organization that advocates political correctness over public safety.
I do champion cops, because sans cops people like you would be dead in the streets because you can’t take care of yourselves. And yes, if someone has a history of violence I’d like to see them locked up. What a strange view of the world.
Too bad I’m not as progressive as you and could sleep at night knowing innocent people were being victimized by violent predators.
Wow, Rob. You seem to unravel just a little bit more with each posting. Looks like it’s time to find yourselves a new blogger, Dragnet.
explain how it’s unraveling? Is it “unraveling” to correct someone’s sanctimonious assumptions about my religion? Is it unraveling to point out that the complain they keep lodging is false, I’ve never said Torres was a derelict and I’m not making up the fact he was dangerous?
Or is it unraveling to not be used as a virtual punching bag by spoiled rich White people who want to use the tragic end to a troubled life to make political points and feel good about themselves?
And unlike lefty operations that raise money from non-profits to pay salaries I own the site and run the business of it myself. Now that you know I’m one of those evil small business people I’m sure you have some more venom to throw out. But before you claim I’m a racist, I’m Bi-racial just like Obama.
[...] called police. When police arrived a combative Torres threatened them and ran into his bedroom. Police tasered him around the door. He had a heart attack a short time after the struggle to get him under [...]
Once again as I sit here tonight thinking of our system it breaks my heart. I am the mother of a bi-polar adult child. Mental illness is heartbreaking in itself, but the stigma and treatment of it in our society today is beyond anything I can comprehend.
When your loved one is in a crisis sometimes you need the police to help get them into the hospital. That seldom happens though. Usually they are treated as criminals, sent to jail, only to come home the following day? Sometimes they are put into solitary confinement, now isn’t that comforting to someone who is already terrified.
“If” they are lucky enough to get to the er, they are released almost immediately as though everything is ok now?
I very much need help tonight, but I learned the hard way not to call for help, because it only makes the situation ten times harder.
I pray that the system will change because our jails are full of inmates who need medical care and understanding!
No jails are full of people who raped, maimed and murdered others. Mental illness or not the victims of the “adult child” must have justice. I know bi-polar people and none are assaulting people, or have a history of assaults like Torres did. It is an insult to law abiding mentally ill people to lump them in with criminals.
[...] folks out there. These guys have been helping the Shirner’s for a while some of you have been complaining that cops kill mentally ill people for fun or that they deserve getting stabbed in the leg. You hippies are disgusting by the [...]