GREENWOOD, Ind. – An Indiana man died 2 weeks after being tased by officers with the Greenwood Police Department. But his family is now demanding answers after what they say has been a difficult process of trying to get information about what led up to his death.
In an exclusive interview with RTV6, the family of Charles Todero, 30, is speaking up about their frustrations.
They say the Greenwood Police Department has been very tight-lipped about the case, and they know very little about what actually happened.
What we do know: On May 29, just before noon, Charles “Charlie” Todero had a run-in with police at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Camby Street.
Police say he was walking in and out of traffic, exhibiting what they call “strange and dangerous behavior.”
From there, we know at some point, Charles was tased with a stun gun and lost consciousness.
He never woke up.
“We are destroyed,” Charles’ mother, Teresa Todero, said. “I was not prepared to see this happen to my son.”
He died Sunday night after 2 weeks in a coma. And that’s all his family knows as they try to plan his funeral this week.
The police report in the case hasn’t been released yet. No dash cam videos have been made available.
And what exactly happened – how long Charles was tased and what exactly prompted the exchange – hasn’t been fully explained either.
The family says it’s extra frustrating because Charles lost his father just 2 days before and was already in mourning.
Family members are also baffled at why he was tased: They say he had no weapons on him – just a Bible.
“We’re wanting some closure – some information,” Charles’ brother James Todero said. “We want some transparency. We want honesty.”
The Greenwood Police Department says it is confident all officers followed standard procedure, but the case is under internal investigation. The department’s statement is below.
On May 29, 2016, at approximately 11:45 a.m., the Greenwood Police Department responded to multiple calls indicating a man, exhibiting strange and dangerous behavior, walking in and out of traffic near the intersection of Madison Ave. and Camby St. in Greenwood. Responding Officers identified the subject as 30 year old Greenwood resident Charles Todero.
Based upon a review of evidence to date, we are confident the responding officers followed all standard operating procedures in dealing with this matter. The incident is currently under internal investigation, as is standard practice for the department.
Final autopsy and toxicology reports are expected in the coming weeks, and we will provide further comment at that time.
