DEATH INVESTIGATION

Darla Miles reports

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FORT WORTH - The official cause of the death of a 24-year-old Fort Worth man is under investigation after his family said a call for help turned fatal Saturday morning.

It all began when Michael Jacobs Jr.'s mother called 911 because she said her son was out of control. However, she said the response made by authorities violated her son's civil rights, and she wants the officer involved charged criminally in his death.

"He was wonderful, loving," said Helena Wigfall of her cousin Jacobs. "He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it."

Early Saturday morning, Jacobs' mother called 911in an attempt to get Jacobs transported to JPS Hospital. Jacobs has a mental health history and had not been on his medication. Both police and EMTs showed up, but the family said the EMTs left.

Police said Jacobs was agitated, uncooperative and became combative with officers on the scene. One female officer used a taser on Jacobs.

Wigfall said Jacobs' mother pled for the officer to stop.

"She asked them to stop and they wouldn't stop," Wigfall said. "[They] just kept tasing him with the stun gun."

"She said, 'Please stop, stop doing that to my son. You're killing him,'" said Carol Morris, Jacobs' cousin.

According to the police report, Jacobs was then handcuffed. Minutes later, he started to have trouble breathing. MedStar arrived and took Jacobs to JPS where he died.

"They're devastated," Wigfall said of Jacobs' parents. "Their son is gone."

The major crimes unit is investigating the incident.

"This is a very unfortunate and difficult situation," read a statement issued by the Fort Worth Police Department. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved."

"We're just wanting justice," Wigfall said. "We just feel like there were a lot of things that were done wrong to him."

Since 2001, 351 deaths have been attributed to the use of taser guns. Two of those cases were minors.

E-mail dmiles@wfaa.com