Lawyer in Jim Rogers Taser case releases video of Pittsburgh police encounter

Video released publicly Monday showed for the first time how Pittsburgh police repeatedly shocked a homeless man with a Taser in 2021 during a fatal encounter whose details until now had emerged only through official reports.

Jim Rogers, 54, died the day after being shocked by Keith Edmonds, a former police officer who was fired for his role in the incident.

Rogers’ death rippled through the city, with discipline being meted out to numerous police officers and Pittsburgh paying Rogers’ family $8 million in a settlement.

But it wasn’t until Monday that the public had a chance to see in graphic and disturbing detail what actually happened when Edmonds responded Oct. 13, 2021 to a call for a stolen bicycle in Bloomfield and encountered Rogers, the suspect.

The 52-minute video, which is a compilation of body camera, dashboard camera and neighborhood footage, as well as graphics, was created by lawyer Todd J. Hollis and released with the permission of Rogers’ family. Hollis posted it Monday to his firm’s website.

The footage — punctuated by screaming and profanity by Edmonds and bursts of violence as the officer uses his Taser to try to bring a non-compliant Rogers under control — shows the entire encounter unfolding in real time.

It begins with Rogers, face mask pulled down under his chin, appearing somewhat disoriented but polite. Edmonds fruitlessly attempts to have Rogers keep his hands up. When Rogers ignores commands, Edmonds threatens him with his Taser. He ends up shocking Rogers numerous times, both while he’s on the ground and midstride as he tries to run away. Rogers stiffens and falls — only to get up and start running away again.

Hollis had sought permission from a federal court judge to release the video and other documents he obtained through the lawsuit, which was filed in the name of Rogers’ brother and settled last year. U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Reed Eddy granted permission on Wednesday.

Hollis said the video was being released in a commitment to transparency and public awareness.

“In releasing this footage, we aim to provide public access to critical information and foster a transparent legal process. Our goal is to uphold the principles of justice and integrity in the legal system, ensuring that all relevant information is available for public view and understanding.”

The video begins with an Allegheny County 911 employee receiving the call at 10:20 a.m. from an unidentified person whose part of the conversation was not released by Hollis.

The caller describes the person in question as a “Black male, thin, in his 50s,” wearing grey sweatpants, blue ball cap, according to the dispatcher.

Edmonds responds that he is on the way, and the dispatcher relays “male on a neighbor’s porch stealing a bike.”

Edmonds arrived on Harriet Street at 10:28 a.m., according to his body camera footage.

As soon as Rogers sees Edmonds approaching, the video shows, he puts his hands in the air.

“What’d you do with that bike?” Edmonds asks. “Why’d you take the bike?”

“I thought someone was giving it away,” Rogers answers. “I didn’t take it from them or anything. I didn’t take nothing.”

“Did you go on someone’s porch?” Edmonds asks.

“No, sir,” Rogers responds. Then he says, “I have no weapons.”

Edmonds asks Rogers if he has a wallet and reaches into his front left pants pocket. As Edmonds pulls the wallet out, Rogers tries to take it back.

Edmonds immediately puts Rogers on the ground and starts shouting.

“What did I say? What did I say?” Edmonds yells. “Get on the ground. What did I say?”

“OK, sir. OK. I’m listening to you. I’m listening to you. I’m listening to you, sir,” Rogers keeps repeating.

Edmonds then threatens him with his Taser.

“Put your hands behind your back or you’re going to get tased now,” Edmonds says.

“OK, I’m so sorry,” Rogers responds. “I didn’t do anything.”

Edmonds then puts his Taser directly against Rogers’ back and delivers a quick shock, a tactic known as a drive stun.

Less than 30 seconds later, Rogers tries to run away, but is shocked again, his body completely stiffening and falling sideways into a lawn.

Rogers writhes on the ground.

At 10:33 a.m., Rogers tries to run yet again. Once more, Edmonds shocks him, causing Rogers to fall completely straight-legged into the street. Rogers mumbles incomprehensibly.

Around this time in the video, a neighbor shouts at Edmonds, “Would you give him a minute to collect himself?”

Edmonds tells the woman to back off and then shocks Rogers again.

He then orders Rogers to get on his stomach. Rogers instead tries to scoot across the street. Edmonds rolls Rogers over several times before back-up officers arrive and finally handcuff him about 10:36 a.m.

According to a 15-page executive summary of an internal Pittsburgh police critical review board investigation obtained by TribLive, Edmonds delivered at least 10 electrical bursts within three minutes and 15 seconds.

The video shows Rogers being placed in the back of a police car at 10:37 where it’s clear he’s struggling to breathe. He repeatedly strikes his head against the cage behind him for 17 minutes. Several times, it sounds like he screams in pain.

The officers, Pat Desaro and Gregory Boss, leave for the hospital at 10:56 a.m.

Stopping for traffic lights and not appearing to speed or exhibit any urgency as they chat with each other, they arrive at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood 17 minutes later, where they pause to don masks and gloves before finding Rogers unresponsive in the back seat.

They try to rouse him.

“Jimmy, Jim. Hey. Jim. Jim. Jim. Jimmy. Come on, bud. Come on. Come on, Jim? Jim. Come on, bud, wake up,” one officer says. “I don’t know if he’s breathing, bro. Grab the medics.”

One officer opens the police car’s back door and shakes Rogers, who is belted in. When Rogers doesn’t move, the officer shouts, “Get the medics over here!”

Edmonds then arrives and helps get Rogers out of the car. He begins CPR on Rogers in the street before hospital workers arrive.

Rogers died the next day. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said that Rogers died from a lack of oxygen to the brain and ruled the death accidental.

University of Pittsburgh law Professor David A. Harris, an expert on policing, reviewed the video on Monday.

“I don’t see why any of this had to happen,” he said, noting that the initial call was over a potentially stolen bicycle. “Was this what we want our police to do? Is this how we want them to react?”

Harris said that as the encounter began, it was clear that Rogers seemed at least a little confused.

The officer was entitled to search Rogers, Harris said.

“But it so quickly spirals out of control when the man won’t show him his hands.”

Harris said Edmonds’ response was “completely excessive.

“This was plain and simply pain compliance, and it wasn’t working plain and clear,” he said. “”It goes from bad to worse in such a hurry.”

Harris acknowledged that Rogers wasn’t complying and tried to run away. But Edmonds had choices, Harris said.

He could have tried to wrestle Rogers to the ground and handcuff him; used pepper spray; struck him with a club; or deployed his Taser.

“All those things are possible, but given what this was about — the theft of a bicycle that doesn’t appear to be stolen — this is a lot of force,” Harris said. “Was this worthwhile bringing him into custody?”

Discipline was recommended against eight police officers. Edmonds was fired but has appealed the decision.

Although Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. convened a grand jury investigation into Rogers’ death, no charges were ever filed.

The grand jury hearing the case concluded its term in October 2022.

At the time, Zappala said “there are other agencies that have an interest in the case.”

Zappala did not return a message seeking comment on Monday.