Town official says officer knew fire risk in deploying Taser

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – An Oklahoma town official says a police officer who fired a Taser at a suicidal man who authorities say doused himself with gasoline, then caught fire and burned to death, knew the risk of using a stun gun with gas nearby.

Lindsay City Manager Stephen Mills says Thursday that the officer’s only other option would have been to fatally shoot the man.

The man was burned beyond recognition Tuesday in Lindsay, about 45 miles south of Oklahoma City. The names of the man and the officer haven’t been released.

Mills says the officer was trained by Axon, the company that sells Tasers, whose guidelines warn against deploying Tasers near flammable material.

Mills says after being shot, the man re-entered the van and caught fire.