Jon Alex Merkle

How they died

Less-than-lethal force

A disgraced attorney with a chronic cocaine problem and a record of reckless behavior, Merkle was confronted by officers in an abandoned house after he'd run through several back yards, acting erratically. With a large stick he broke out windows, hit himself, and finally assaulted an officer trying to get him under control. Tasered, he turned blue and died shortly. The medical examiner laid the blame on the high levels of coke in his system.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Jon Alex Merkle, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources