Victoria Snelgrove - Fatality From Pepper Ball

Updating a previous report, the controversy surrounding the death of Red Sox fan Victoria Snelgrove, allegedly caused by a pepper ball fired by police into a riotous crowd, has not diminished. CodeBlueBlog asserted that there is no documented medical evidence of a pepper ball injury ever causing a death. So, answers to two questions are sought. What was the cause of death? And, are pepper ball guns lethal?

According to this report, Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole announced on Tuesday that an independent panel, headed by former U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern, will investigate the incident and determine exactly what occurred. Meanwhile, two other Boston police investigations, one by homicide detectives and one by the internal affairs division are already in progress. These investigations, however, appear to be focusing on whether the police used excessive force, not necessarily the cause of death. So, the question remains. Can a pepper ball injury to the eye cause death? Hopefully, the investigators will address this issue along with the issues of the lethality of pepper ball guns and the excessive use of force by the police.

But wait, there's more. AnalogKid reports that the Seattle Police Department has also been watching the Snelgrove case and, as a result, has suspended the use of pepper ball launchers pending the outcome of the investigations in Boston. Without conclusive evidence that pepper ball guns are lethal, though, Seattle Police may be overreacting and, at a most inopportune time. If Bush is reelected, strongly left-leaning Seattle may erupt as it did during the World Trade Organization conference a few years ago. If so, the police department is going to need all the riot control equipment it can get.

In summary, many questions have arisen from the death of Victoria Snelgrove. Specific concerns include the acceptability of using pepper ball guns, excessive use of force by the police, adequacy of police training, and the cause of Snelgrove's death. The first question that should be answered is what caused her death. All the other issues cannot be adequately answered until it's determined exactly what killed her.