Since 2001, there have been 10 documented instances of TASER/handgun weapon-confusion shootings by police. In each of these cases, the TASERs were carried in a configuration that facilitated being drawn with the dominant (strong) hand. One police human factors expert has attributed the unintentional shootings to slip errors and capture errors. While some laypersons have disputed this – usually without any proof of alternative theories – very little literature analyzing these shootings in light of prevalent human error theory exists. This paper applies current slip-and-capture theory to the facts of a highly publicized and well-documented case, concluding that this police TASER-confusion shooting falls within those theoretical frameworks. The need for further research and the criminalization of such errors is briefly discussed.
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