RIP Kevin Piskura
2006 Miami University graduate Kevin Piskura died late Thursday afternoon after battling all week to survive a tase that sent him into cardiac arrest. Here’s how the Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting the incident:
Oxford police said Piskura tried to interfere with the arrest of Steven Gene Smith, 24, of Mundelein, Ill., outside the Brick Street Bar. Police said the officer was on a bicycle patrol and arrived as bouncers were escorting Smith out of the bar.
When the officer tried to arrest Smith, Piskura fought with bouncers and the officer, police said.
The officer warned both men that a stun gun would be used if they didn’t stop fighting, and Smith backed off, but Piskura continued to fight, police said.
After additional warnings, the officer used a Taser on Piskura, with the device’s barbs striking Piskura in the chest, police said.
I did not know Kevin personally, but he was one of those guys that everyone knew who he was, and when I ended up next to him at a bar in Chicago, he introduced himself and bought shots. I know that’s not much of a story, but he seemed to leave a positive impression on everyone he met and will be missed very much. My thoughts are with his family and friends, as I cannot imagine what they are going through right now.
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April 25th, 2008 at 8:02 am
I went to school with Kevin, I don’t believe the stories that the police are saying.
Your description of him is the description of how he was the entire time i knew him. Outgoing and friendly.
It’s far more likely he was trying to break up the fight then start one and the cop was trigger happy.
April 25th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I didn’t know him that well, but Kevin lived two doors down from me freshman (Dennison Hall) year at Miami Uni in Oxford. I don’t know what exactly happened, but I doubt that it warranted his murder by power mad police officers - oxford cops were notorious for being aggressive and unfair, and this incident just shows how messed they are. He may have been a bit of a sheister, but no one deserves to be tasered for 10 seconds after already being handcuffed.
April 26th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
He was handcuffed *after* he was tased.
This is from your own student news paper The Miami Student, “The Taser was then reportedly deployed on Piskura’s upper chest, and he collapsed to the ground and was handcuffed.”
And BTW, the Oxford police, in the opinion of many, don’t do enough to stop these types of incidents. Oxford has lost the faculty that used to live in the town: they’ve almost all moved either to developments outside of Oxford or live outside of Oxford totally. Can you guess the reason why? Time’s up: the correct answers are theft, vandalism, and disorderly behavior. You can go on Main St at 3 in the morning, and I guarantee you will hear a group of rowdy students yelling obscenities. Miami people think that this type of behavior is “normal” for college kids. I guess this is accident is one of the consequences of this normal type of behavior?
Marcus Bezek
April 29th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
i grew up with kev in walton hills we played ball together for years i am still sick this occured he was one of the funniest guys i ever met rip kev!!
April 30th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I don’t care when he was handcuffed “Marcus” the fact of the matter is nobody including police helped resuscitate Kevin after he was stunned. That is why he died. I also find it hard to believe Oxford is any different or more out of control than other college towns. Plus these are simply the negative affects of having 20,000 students and their parents employ absolutely everyone in the town of Oxford for the last 200 years. Furthermore “Marcus” I can’t think of a single professor I have ever met in my life who lives in the same town he or she teaches at. My guess is it would probably be due to a conflict of interest, living and hanging around the same people you intend to educate. Kevin was not a thief, of vandal he was a kind hearted, fun loving 24 year kid who was trying to help out a friend. Any friend of Kevin’s will tell you that’s just how he was. Finally everyone needs to WAKE UP if this happened to Kevin it could happen to you or your child too.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Marcus Bezek, do you realize you sound like a JACKASS???? Really. Your views and opinions in general are very harsh, but more importantly, YOU ARE DISRESPECTING THE DEAD, and someone who was a GREAT GUY! Seriously, what the hell is your problem?!?!
And so everyone knows, I haven’t seen (or heard of anyone who has,) one news article that actually got the facts straight. Kevin has family members who are in the police force. He wouldn’t have fought with the police.
For those of us that knew Kevin, this is a great loss in our lives. And it’s sad to think of all the people who won’t get to meet such a wonderful person. May God have mercy on his soul, and may his memory be eternal.
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Marcus, whether the Oxford police did enough in the past to prevent incidents like this (and my gut is that they haven’t - the addage “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” readily applies), in this specific case it was the over- and under-reaction of the police that led to Kevin’s death.
Over-reaction in that he was given 3 (3!!!) separate doses of the Taser (each a 5-second burst), 2 while he was on the ground, all by an officer who could have and should have subdued a drunk man who is smaller than he is with nothing more than his hands and his night-stick (they are trained on how to subdue people with the stick without hitting them).
Under-reaction in that he was left unconscious and not breathing for far too long before anyone took action to bring medical assistance to the scene.
I’m not going to pass judgment on anyone or anything until the results of the investigations are complete, but it doesn’t look good for the officer involved, or for the Taser company.
May 11th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
i knew kevin for awhile. he was my camp consluer at walton hills camp. kevin was one of my favorite consulers there. no matter what he would make you smile. he was one of those people you would meet and then never forget.it makes me sick to hear that this could happen to such a great person. and you people fighting over what happend, wow, it shouldnt matter kevin was a great person and this should have never happend. kevin was a great person, he was great with us kids, he always made us have a great time. he had these brand marks on his arms and he wouldnt tell the kids what really happend, so he used to tell us that an octopus grabed holed of his arms, and when we went on walks, he used to brake of a tree branch and yell”i’m the tree monster! run!” and everyone would laugh and run. i know that everyone at the camp misses him. we all love you kevin, rest in peace and stay clear of any octopuses
May 30th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Sorry to hear of the young man’s death. Also sorry to hear that his blood alchol level was 4 TIMES the legal limit. He had a blood alchol level of 0.319. The legal limit in Ohio for drivers is 0.68. It now obvious that a combination of factors contributed to his death, including alcohol poisoning. If anything, based on the above information, Kevin contributed to his own death. When will you young people learn?
June 19th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Dean Proctor,
Aside from your condescending tone, aside from your obvious ignorance of the situation, and aside from your ill-drawn conclusion, I would like to point out how disgustingly unethical it is to post Kevin’s BAC on a public forum. (And just so you know, that figure is incorrect according to the facts of the case.) This is an opportunity for those of us who knew Kevin to remember him and mourn his loss. Your opinions are unnecessary and unwelcome.