Israel Hernandez Killing: Family Intends to Sue City of Miami Beach Police Over Fatal Tasering

The family of Israel Hernandez, the teenager fatally Tasered by Miami Beach cops August 6, intends to sue the police department. According to the Miami Herald, the family will announce its lawsuit at 2:30 p.m. today on the steps of the Miami-Dade courthouse downtown. The suit is yet another sign...

By Michael E. Miller

August 27, 2013

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The family of Israel Hernandez, the teenager fatally Tasered by Miami Beach cops August 6, intends to sue the police department.

According to the Miami Herald, the family will announce its lawsuit at 2:30 p.m. today on the steps of the Miami-Dade courthouse downtown.

The suit is yet another sign that outrage remains high over the slaying of 18-year-old Hernandez, who was tagging an abandoned McDonald's in North Beach when he was chased and Tasered. He died moments later.

Answers, however, remain few and far between. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released an autopsy report on Hernandez.

Meanwhile, Miami Beach Police have released only limited information about the teen's death, including a 911 tape and an incident report from an officer who did not witness the Tasering.

New Times' repeated requests for more documents have been rebuffed.

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Michael E. Miller was a staff writer at Miami New Times for five years. His work for New Times won many national awards, including back-to-back-to-back Sigma Delta Chi medallions. He now covers local enterprise for the Washington Post.

Contact: Michael E. Miller