Death by Taser: Police Accused of Cover-Up in Death of African American Man Shocked Nine Times While in Handcuffs

Thursday, July 24, 2008 :Police in the city of Winnfield, Louisiana are being accused of covering up the death of twenty-one-year-old Baron Pikes. He died in police custody on January 21 after being shot nine times with a taser gun while in handcuffs. The city police chief initially claimed that Pikes was high on crack cocaine and PCP at the time of his death. But the coroner recently ruled Pikes' death to be a homicide, after an autopsy determined there were no drugs in his system. The coroner also determined that the police shot Pikes twice after he lost consciousness. We speak with Chicago Tribune reporter Howard Witt, who broke the story nationally; Kayshon Collins, Baron Pikes' stepmother; and Winnfield Police Lieutenant Charles Curry. [includes rush transcript - partial]