Man Hospitalized After Being Tased By OKC Police Officer

Oklahoma City police say a man was hospitalized after being tased by an officer.

Police said 43-year-old Timothy Dennis randomly fired off several rounds as he walked down the street. One neighbor saw the whole thing go down once an officer arrived on scene. He said Dennis refused to comply with the officer's commands. The officer chased him down the street and ended up firing his taser.

Dennis still had the gun on him when the officer fired the taser. Neighbors who watched everything unfold said Dennis was not listening to the police officer and tried to run away. EMSA transported Dennis to an area hospital in critical condition.

"During that time, the officer noted that the subject was having some breathing problems," said Capt. Dexter Nelson, Oklahoma City Police Department. "As secondary officers responded with fire and EMSA, they realized that he was labored in his breathing."

Capt. Nelson says this incident, like many they see could have been avoided if the suspect complied with the officer's commands. When asked if the suspect's mental state played a role, Nelson only said it's a possibility but could not comment beyond that.

Nelson says Dennis' survival looked unlikely Monday afternoon.

"Right now we don't know what exactly his injuries are from," said Capt. Nelson. "We don't know if he was under the influence of some type of narcotics or during the fall from the tasing had an effect on him or not."