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Video: Inmate shocked with stun gun 3 times before death

Associated Press
Published | Updated

In this March 2011 photo made from surveillance video released by the Harnett County, N.C., Detention Center, inmate Brandon Bethea stands at right before a detention officer shocks him with a stun gun in Lillington, N.C. Bethea died after being hit. The county settled a lawsuit by the family and no charges were filed in the death. (Harnett County Detention Center/The News & Observer via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

In this March 2011 photo made from surveillance video released by the Harnett County, N.C., Detention Center, inmate Brandon Bethea lies on the ground after an officer shocked him with a stun gun in Lillington, N.C. Bethea died after being hit. The county settled a lawsuit by the family and no charges were filed in the death. (Harnett County Detention Center/The News & Observer via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

A video released to a North Carolina newspaper shows a jail inmate had been shocked three times with a stun gun before he died.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported (http://bit.ly/24vrHB0) the video it obtained this spring shows 24-year-old Brandon Bethea backing away from a Harnett County jail officer with a stun gun in a padded cell in 2011.

Jail officers said Bethea had threatened them. He was being held on charges of rape, illegally weapons possession and armed robbery.

The video shows an officer fired three times and Bethea was left alone for about 20 minutes. He could not be revived.

The county settled a lawsuit by the family.

No one was charged. The district attorney said he didn't think he could get an indictment.