The Region - News from April 14, 1985

An autopsy on a man who died after Los Angeles police shot him with an electronic Taser stun gun was inconclusive, and a spokesman for the coroner’s office said further medical tests must be conducted to determine the cause of death. Police said Cornelius Garland Smith, 35, of Los Angeles showed signs of being under the influence of PCP and struggled with two officers when they confronted him near 110th Street and Avalon Boulevard. One officer fired two darts from the Taser, giving Smith a 50,000-volt electric jolt. He died later at Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center. Lt. Charles Higbie, head of the Police Department’s officer-involved shooting team, said he seriously doubted that the Taser killed Smith. The coroner’s office said results of toxicological and tissue tests on Smith will be completed in two to four weeks.