San diego : man hit by police stun gun dies in hospital

A 24-year-old man died late Wednesday at Physicians & Surgeons Hospital, where he had been on life-support systems after being stunned earlier this week by San Diego police officers with

an electronic Taser gun. An autopsy was performed Thursday on the body of Mario Gastelum of Encanto, and the county coroner’s office said no official ruling into the cause of the death will

be made until toxicology results are received. Police responded to a prowler call early Monday morning in the 2200 block of L Street and found Gastelum hiding underneath a house in his

underwear. Believing he was under the influence of PCP or some other potent drug, police shot him three times with a Taser gun, which shoots a dart that emits 50,000 volts of electricity.

The guns are designed to calm a person who exhibits violent or combative behavior. The Police Department’s internal affairs division is investigating the matter. MORE TO READ