Tasered by St. Louis Park Police, Nursing Home Patient Dies at 76

A 76-year-old patient of a St. Louis Park nursing home died late last month after being Tasered by police.

Zheng Diao, a patient at Park Health and Rehab, was waving a knife and scissors on July 14. When police arrived, they signaled to Diao, who did not speak English, to drop the weapons, but instead he moved the knife toward his throat.

A St. Louis Park police officer then used a Taser to subdue Diao for his own protection. He fell, hurting his face.

Diao died a couple weeks later, on July 29, at the Hennepin County Medical Center from pneumonia he developed while being treated for delirium and the blunt force injuries sustained in his fall, the medical examiner said Wednesday.

Kristie Johnsrud, the administrator of Park Health and Rehab, called the incident “an unfortunate situation” in a statement.

“Our staff responded quickly and appropriately at the time of the incident by immediately contacting the local authorities for assistance,” she said, “We also reported the incident to the Minnesota Department of Health, as required by law.”