Deputies use stun gun on man outside St. Joseph; soon after, he’s dead

A man died after being hit by a stun gun during an arrest by sheriff’s deputies just outside St. Joseph on Wednesday, according to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office.

Members of the office’s Drug Strike Force encountered the man while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on another person at a home on MacKenzie Drive just south of the city, said Buchanan County Undersheriff Col. Bill Puett. The man threatened deputies with a baseball bat, and a struggle ensued.

Deputies used a stun gun on the man while placing him under arrest. Puett said the man resisted, striking and biting at deputies.

After the arrest, the man became unresponsive and was taken to a hospital where he died, Puett said.

The man has not yet been identified. He was not the person being sought for arrest. That person, who was wanted in connection with a drug investigation, has not been found.

Criminal investigators from another unit in the sheriff’s office will investigate the death. The sheriff’s office has asked the Missouri Highway Patrol to assist in the investigation and review it for transparency, Puett said.

The cause of the man’s death was not immediately clear. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Deputies use stun gun on man outside St. Joseph; soon after, he’s dead."