Charles was one of the most kind hearted people I have ever met. We loved him dearly for his kind heart and weird sense of humor. He should not have died at the hands of police for any reason. This was a case of police using excessive force. Once he was subdued, he begged for water and was telling police he could not breathe but they did not provide him with any assistance until it was too late. The police are trying to cover their behinds, but regardless, Charles should not have died. Most of the information being released to the press is from the police themselves or the nosy neighbors. The family has been advised not to speak to the press so not sure if this is accurate or not. This is the most recent article released:
http://www.venturacountystar.com/ne...an/?partner=RSS
"Police still not certain Taser killed Simi Valley man"
Authorities said Monday it was still too early to say what killed a Simi Valley man involved in a weekend confrontation with police.
Charles Anthony Torrence, 35, was pronounced dead at Simi Valley Hospital early Saturday, about 17 hours after a confrontation with Simi Valley officers near his home on Parker Court.
Police responding to a reported domestic dispute between Torrence and his girlfriend fired a Taser stun gun and physically restrained him after he pulled a neighbor from her house, ran from officers and then fought with them, authorities said. Relatives and Theresa Wheeler, the neighbor, said he was stunned at least six times.
Police, however, said Monday they still didn’t know if a stun-gun shot actually hit and shocked Torrence.
County Medical Examiner Dr. Ronald O’Halloran said an autopsy found “no clear evidence” that a Taser shot made contact with Torrence’s skin.
The cause of death was still pending Monday as authorities waited for toxicology test results, which could take months.
Relatives said Torrence complained about pain and breathing during the altercation, and that he was covered with cuts and bruises afterward. His mother and his girlfriend said officers had him on his stomach with their knees in his back.
Police wouldn’t say if drugs were involved in the incident, although Beard said she was told at the hospital that Torrence tested positive for a drug. She did not know what the substance was.
Simi police Sgt. Adam Darough said Monday that narcotics were recovered from Torrence’s home. He declined to discuss the type or amount of drugs.
No one at the home was arrested or cited in connection with the drugs, Darough said.
During the incident, Torrence ran from police for about 200 feet before fighting with officers as they tried to control him, Darough said. The three officers involved suffered minor injures, including abrasions and twisted joints, Darough said. He declined to identify the officers.
Police said Torrence began experiencing “medical distress” after he was handcuffed.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident — standard practice when someone dies after a confrontation with police.
A computer network engineer, Torrence had two children from a former marriage, an 8-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy, said his older brother, Chris Torrence. He sometimes worked as a disc jockey in the Los Angeles area, his brother said.
“I’ve been getting a lot of texts from mutual friends with their shock and disbelief about what happened,” the brother said.
If Charles were here though, he would laugh at us for being sad. He always wanted to make light of difficult situations. I will miss him terribly. He was a really dear friend.
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sorry, just trying to lighten things up.
