Everrette Howard

Everette Howard was an eighteen-year-old Black student studying at the University of Cincinnati’s Upward Bound Program in the summer of 2011. Upward Bound is a program for high school students that provides summer academic support for minority students on college campuses. Howard had just graduated in the top 10% of his high school class and planned to wrestle in college. On August 7, 2011, the University of Cincinnati police tased and killed him at this location outside of Turner Hall around 3 a.m. The assistant chief of the UC police claimed “One of the officers was confronted by an individual who appeared agitated and upset, charged at the officers... The officer told him to stop...then told him if he didn't stop he was going to deploy a taser, the subject didn't stop and the officer deployed the taser which was successful." However, a witness on the scene tells another story. The witness said that Howard was calm and complied with the officers. Because Howard had a heart murmur, the taser interfered with the natural electricity of his heart rhythm and Howard died from his injuries. Although the police officer was only placed on paid administrative leave, the UCPD discontinued the use of tasers after this incident.