AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of the attorneys representing two former Williamson County Sheriff's deputies charged with an in-custody death was tased in a demonstration for jurors Wednesday morning.
James Johnson and Zach Camden are both charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Javier Ambler.
Ambler died in March 2019 after leading police on a 20-minute chase, crashing at the intersection of St. John's and Bethune Avenue. The former deputies are accused of acting recklessly while trying to arrest Ambler by using a Taser, despite Ambler telling officers he had a heart condition.
The prosecution rested its case Tuesday morning without bringing in any new witnesses. Soon after, the defense gave its second opening statement to the jury.
In it, they claimed testimony from the state's expert witnesses conflicted with the everyday practices of police officers and findings from experts who also handled the case.
Attorney tased in front of jury
A crew from Axon, a company that makes Tasers like the one used in Ambler's arrest, set up thick black foam pads in front of the jury box in preparation for the demonstration.
Defense attorney Ken Ervin stood with the crew, discussing where they would stand during the demonstration.
Minutes later, the jury was brought in, each given a pair of safety glasses and some moved from the jury box closer to the galley.
Clad in a grey t-shirt and sneakers, Ervin stood in front of Ben Bloodworth, a senior master instructor with Axon, positioned a few feet behind him.
Bloodworth raised his arms, the bright yellow Taser in his hands. He shouted the warning "Taser, Taser, Taser" before pulling the trigger. The Taser's probes, attached to the device with thin, shiny wires, flew out of the device, one landing in Ervin's lower back, the other in his leg.
Ervin seized up, his jaw clenched and visibly in pain, standing with the help of two men with an arm hooked under his.
After the circuit finished, Ervin slumped, remaining standing with help from spotters. After a few moments, Ervin appeared to recover and walked out of the courtroom with the crew, returning to his seat next to the defendants a couple of minutes later.
Bloodworth fielded questions from the state about taser safety. Prosecutors especially focusing on the possible dangers of drive stunning.
He explained that a drive stun is when the front of the taser is directly pressed against a part of a suspect's body.
On trial day 3, Camden could be seen on footage performing a drive stun on Ambler. While grainy, it appears the taser made contact with Ambler's upper back or neck.
Bloodworth explained that operators are instructed to avoid hitting the upper chest, neck, and groin as that can lead to serious injuries. However, he said contact from a drive stun is more localized than when taser prongs are deployed.
"The majority of the time, drive stun is only ever going to be localized-area pain. It's not going to cause neuromuscular incapacitation. That's not going to override the body's ability to control the muscles voluntarily," Bloodworth said.
The defense rested its case after Bloodsworth's testimony. Both sides and Judge Sage are now drafting the formal charges for Johnson and Camden, expected to be read for jurors Thursday.