Sep 1, 2015 2 min read

CINCINNATI – A robbery suspect who died after he was shocked by a police stun gun was assaulting and trying to rob a woman at a gas station ATM, Cincinnati’s police chief said Tuesday.

An officer shot James Carney III, 48, with a stun gun that shocked him twice after Carney ignored repeated warnings to stop assaulting the woman, Chief Jeffrey Blackwell said.

Carney was leaning inside the driver’s window, punching the woman who was parked at an ATM when officers arrived around 10 p.m. Monday, police said.

Anthony White and another officer were on patrol when they heard a car horn and shouting from the gas station. Blackwell said the officers witnessed the assault, and began giving Carney verbal commands to stop.

“They had no idea whether or not the individual possessed a weapon,” Blackwell said. “All they know was that the individual refused commands to cease and come out of the car.”

The chief said White shot Carney with then stun gun when he didn’t respond to the commands and then shocked him with an additional charge after the first one apparently didn’t affect him. Carney then became unresponsive while still in the window, the chief said.

He said Carney was then caught between the car and the ATM. Other officers arrived and managed to lift the car and move it away from the ATM, freeing Carney and the woman trapped in her seat.

Carney was pronounced dead a short time later at a hospital.

“His erratic behavior would suggest that there may have been some type of narcotic involved,” Blackwell said.

But police were awaiting a coroner’s report on the cause of death.

White is on standard leave as the investigation continues. Police Capt. Michael John said the woman was shaken up, but “physically OK.”

Police were unaware of any video. Nothing was recorded from the gas station or the ATM, Blackwell said.