DESLOGE, Mo. — A police officer hit a 5-year-old boy with a Taser Friday afternoon while trying to break up a fight in Desloge, Missouri, the city's police department said.
Two people were fighting at the city's Labor Day Picnic when an officer with the Desloge Police Department deployed a Taser at the two people fighting, according to Desloge Police Department Chief James Bullock. The first Taser strike hit one suspect successfully. The officer fired a Taser a second time, intending to hit the second suspect.
Only one of the Taser's probes hit the suspect, police said. The second Taser probe allegedly bounced off the ground and struck the 5-year-old boy, Jaxtyn Fortenberry-Tucker, who was passing by.
Zoee Fotenberry and Angela Pratt, the boy's mother and grandmother, left the boy at the picnic with his uncle, Jeremiah Pratt, shortly before it all happened.
"My brother had called me and asked where we were, and he said there was an incident and that we needed to come back," said Zoee Fortenberry.
The child was not seriously hurt, the police chief said. Paramedics were called to the scene to make sure the child was okay. They would later take the boy to the hospital for further medical treatment and observation.
"As soon as we opened the ambulance door, and he saw it was me and his mom, he grabbed hold of us and started crying," said Angela Pratt.
The family said, the police never apologized for their actions, and they want to know why a Taser was used in such a high traffic area?
"I just don't think Tasers were necessary especially with kids and a crowd, it was packed," said Jeremiah Pratt.
A day later, Jaxtyn is back on his feet and returning to normal activities, but his family said, that doesn't help with the trauma of the situation.
"You don't want him to fear officers because he will maybe need them in the future, so you have to let him know, 'they're not the bad guys,'" Angela Pratt said. "But how do you explain (that to him when) he was tased by one. He knows he wasn't the bad guy. It's a struggle."
The Desloge Police Department's Chief was not available for comment Saturday, but Jaxtyn's family plans to meet with police on Tuesday in hopes of getting more answers.
"Was everything done that should've been done? It's kinda why we're waiting on the investigation," said Angela Pratt. "Was this preventable or could it have been prevented? That is the question."
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV App Store.