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Ex Trooper Sent To Prison For Taser Death

Former Michigan State Police Trooper Mark Bessner was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison guilty for the death of Detroit teen Damon Grimes. Grimes, 15, was killed when his ATV crashed into the back of a parked car Aug. 26, 2017 on Detroit’s east side. Bessner shocked Grimes with a Taser during a high-speed chase while he was riding the ATV.  Grimes refused to stop even though he was being chased by police. A jury found  Bessner guilty of involuntary manslaughter in his second trial.

Bessner was emotional as he addressed the court, saying
“It was a tragedy that Damon Grimes died that day … and I’m truly sorry … if there was a time machine and I could go back and change the outcome, I would.”
Wayne County judge Margaret Van Houten went above the sentencing guidelines in sentencing Bessner.