Three Dedham police officers who used a Taser on a man three times and sprayed him with pepper spray had justified use of force and are not criminally responsible for his death, the Norfolk District Attorney said Friday. Michael Morrissey.

Samuel Pattillo, 36, was suffering from a psychotic break when he stabbed his mother and sister in the family home on Dec. 6, 2023, seriously injuring both women, according to a final report into the investigation into his death and the officers’ use of force.

Shortly after the stabbings, Pattillo was confronted by three officers, leading to a furious struggle in which Pattillo attacked the officers and demanded that they shoot him, according to the report.

Pattillo was hit by a Taser three times and recovered each time after five seconds, Morrissey wrote. He was also pepper-sprayed once and punched several times by officers struggling to take him into custody, the report said.

For the next 30 seconds, Pattillo remained silent until the point where police began taking his pulse and began performing life-saving efforts, including CPR. He was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess-Needham, where he was pronounced dead, according to the report.

The state medical examiner noted multiple scratches, abrasions and three places where Pattillo was struck by a Taser, but none of the injuries were serious enough to cause his death, according to the report. Dr. María Del Mar Capo-Martínez ruled that Pattillo also had partially blocked arteries, which led to fatal cardiac arrest, according to the report.

Morrissey ruled that the police officers faced an “imminent threat” from Pattillo.

“I find that there was no criminal responsibility on your part in attempting to subdue and detain Mr. Pattillo, after he violently assaulted his mother and sister, attempted to flee the scene, and presented himself as an additional threat to the police and the community.” ”. Morrissey wrote in the report. “When Mr. Pattillo stabbed his family members and violently assaulted responding Dedham police officers, there was an imminent threat of danger and potentially death to the officers and the public, and the officers’ actions were reasonably necessary.”

According to Morrissey, Pattillo was chronically mentally ill and had stopped taking his medication in the days leading up to December 6. His sister had traveled from out of state to help him and had taken him to a doctor’s appointment earlier that day.

While Pattillo’s When his mother and sister were in the kitchen, he suddenly grabbed a large kitchen knife and began stabbing his sister, the report said. He attacked his mother when she intervened. Pattillo left the house and was on Country Club Lane when he was confronted by officers Michael Pucci, Ryan McCarthy and Brian Cullinane.

Data on the Tasers showed that they were not completely effective because they were fired from long distances and hit Pattillo in parts of his body, reducing their power, the report concluded.

“I think the officers’ actions showed that they were not only concerned about themselves, others and the public, but also about Mr. Pattillo; and his actions were reasonable under the circumstances,” Morrissey wrote.

You can contact John R. Ellement at [email protected]. follow him @JREbosglobe.