Those with higher risk of taser induced injury or death are oftentimes shocked without police being aware of the risk itself.

Pregnant women, women of child-bearing age in general, children, the elderly, those intoxicated on drugs or alcohol, and people with heart complications are at a much higher risk of injury or death when shocked with a taser.

A special report released by Reuters explains the lack of understanding by saying, “people in those groups account for more than half of the 1,028 cases identified in which people died after being shocked by Tasers, often along with other force. Such people, Axon’s warnings say, should be targeted ‘only if the situation justifies an increased risk’ of injury or death.”

Axon told Reuters, “[warnings] do not identify any population group as ‘high risk,’ rather, they recognize that certain people may be at increased risk during encounters requiring force, regardless of the force option chosen”.

One account of a high risk individual dying after being tased reported that the officer who administered his taser on a man with heart problems had in fact not been trained or certified on Taser use since 2006.

Guidelines put in place by the manufacturer state that police officers are to go through training each year to become re-certified and remain up to date on regulations.