Married father of 5 dies after being repeatedly Tasered during burglary attempt

A 36-year-old married father of five from California died after being repeatedly Tasered by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies during what was described as an attempted burglary.

Deputies on Tuesday used a stun gun on Dante Parker during an altercation to take him into custody. Officers suspected Parker of breaking into a home in Victorville.

According to law enforcement officials, deputies found Parker riding a bicycle away from the residence and tried to stop him, but the hulking man appeared to be under the influence of unknown substances and was belligerent.

Deputies say Parker fought with a female deputy and left bruises on her arms. They add that the deputy used a Taser on Parker ‘multiple times’ during a struggle in a bid to subdue him,.

Mr Parker was employed as a pressman at the Victorville Daily Press, where his co-workers reacted with shock to allegations that the man tried to break into someone’s home.

‘Dante was a good man, a family man who just wanted to provide the best he could for his wife and kids,’ his supervisor, Harry Pontius, stated to NBC Los Angeles.

Parker’s grieving relatives have described the father of five as a gentle giant, telling local media outlets that he did not deserve to die the way he did.

One of his co-workers revealed that the 36-year-old recently quit drinking in an effort to improve his health after being told by a doctor that he was at risk for a heart attack or a stroke.

According to a statement released by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s office, at around 4.47pm Tuesday deputies from the Victorville Police Department responded to the report of someone trying to break into a house in the 13000 block of Bucknell Court in Victorville.

The responding officer saw the suspected would-be burglar, later identified as Parker, riding a bicycle away from the crime scene.

The deputy observed that the 36-year-old man appeared to be ‘under the influence of an unknown substance.’

As he was being detained, Parker allegedly turned combative, prompting the deputy to use a Taser on him multiple times. But the large man continued struggling until backup arrived.

Parker was eventually handcuffed and placed in the backseat of a patrol car, where officers observed that he was sweating profusely and having trouble breathing.

Dante Parker was rushed to the Victor Valley Global Hospital, where he remained conscious but incoherent while receiving treatment. A short time later, he was pronounced dead. He would have turned 37 today.

Read more at The DailyMail Online.