Wow. A seventeen-year-old boy from Pensacola, FL  was hit and killed by a police officer while riding his bike this past weekend. The boy was being pursued by the officer’s car after “suspiciously” hanging out at a construction site. The officer used taser gun on the boy, which caused him to crash his bicycle. The police car then ran over the boy.

Tragic, yes. Unnecessarily force? Yes. More than anything, I hear this story and think “THIS is why education on cyclist safety is important.”A taser gun??? On a cyclist??? Any educated person, a police officer at that, should know that a taser renders someone paralyzed for moments. Obviously this will cause a cyclist to crash, which in itself is brutal treatment. Especially considering that the teen hadn’t done anything except be seen at a construction site after hours.

Please spread the word on this story!