Dozens gather to protest Taser death

Man who died after Taser shot was from S.J.
By James Hohmann
Mercury News
Article Launched: 05/28/2007 02:52:15 AM PDT

The man who died Friday night after being taken into custody and shot with a Taser by San Jose police was Steve Salinas, a 47-year-old San Jose resident and member of the Mongol motorcycle gang, family members said Sunday.

Spokesmen for the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office and the San Jose Police Department declined to confirm that Salinas was the deceased, saying the name will not be officially released until Tuesday. But a police source confirmed Salinas' identity.

Salinas is survived by three children, his family and close friends told the Mercury News.

He was with his girlfriend when four police officers entered his room at the Vagabond Inn on the 1400 block of North First Street.

Guests called 911 at 6:32 p.m. after they heard loud yelling from Room 119, where the pair was staying. A statement released by the police Saturday said that there was a struggle between the officers and the man that resulted in his being zapped with the Taser - which emits an electrical shock and is designed to temporarily incapacitate suspects.

Paramedics and fire rescuers tried to resuscitate Salinas, but they were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Contact James Hohmann at jhohmann [at] mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5460.

I feel it is about time the civilians of santa clara county made a stand for such corrupted actions which have been taking place for the past few years now. As i to have become a fatherless person do to the police in Santa Clara using there Tasers on my father Jose Angel Rios who was murdered in San Jose CA on south west expswy at 37yrs old. at the verge of turning eighteen my mother and I signed papers with a probono attorney from san Francisco who then said it would take anywhere from six months to a year to do "enough investigations" to prosecute the county of santa clara and the police officers who were involved in the murder of my father, as well as the Tinnocentaser manufactures. Did I ever get the chance to present my case in a court room no! I did not instead I received a notice from the county of santa clara stating that my law suit had been rejected. People of santa clara and all over the world we must make a stand! the killing of innocent people has to come to an end. Every time the police kills some one they get a way with it must stop if they do dontnot realize then we must make them realize as they are normal people just as we are. had I been provided wiwithth the right resources would have also went on a strike long time ago. I fully support and agree with the protestprotes that took place june 10th 20072007.innocent. innocent

Yeah...correct me if i am wrong? Wasn't this guy beating on a women....and that is why the police got called in the first place?

San Jose Police need to be accountable for thier actions. The problems
not with the stun guns it's the police who use them. They don't now
when to stop.

>>Yeah...correct me if i am wrong? Wasn't this guy beating on a women....and that is why the police got called in the first place?

but this is punishable by death? tasers gotta go, did you see the miami 2003 ftaa protest? they were tasering people all over the place. the cops used a taser-shield on someone praying on their knees completely non aggressive.