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Penn faces federal wrongful-death suit over officer’s Taser use
The family of Ronald Harmon alleges a University of Pennsylvania police officer’s Taser deployment led to the 52-year-old’s fatal head injury. The university says it has only recently learned of the lawsuit and declined to comment on pending litigation.
A federal wrongful-death lawsuit accuses the University of Pennsylvania and university police personnel of responsibility for the death of Ronald Harmon, 52, after an officer fired a Taser during an encounter on Nov. 5, 2024.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who filed the case, said Harmon suffered a fatal head injury after being struck with the Taser and falling. Crump argued that the officer should not have used the device and said Harmon was running away and did not pose a threat.
“They violated their own policies when they Tased him from behind,” Crump said at a news conference Monday.
The suit names the university’s trustees and members of the University of Pennsylvania Police Department as defendants. The allegations have not been proven in court.
In a statement, the university’s Division of Public Safety expressed condolences to Harmon’s family and said it had recently become aware of the lawsuit. The university declined further comment, citing the pending litigation.