Brian Cardall was a 32-year-old Utah doctoral student and father of two who died on June 9, 2009, after a Hurricane police officer fired a Taser at his bare chest twice during a bipolar manic episode on the side of State Road 59. The officer was cleared of criminal charges, the City of Hurricane later paid the Cardall family $2 million to settle a federal wrongful death lawsuit, and the case drove a 2011 Utah legislative resolution promoting Crisis Intervention Team training for police statewide.1Deseret News. Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Taser Incident Settled by Family, Hurricane
Who Brian Cardall Was
Brian Layton Cardall was born on December 7, 1976, in Salt Lake City, the sixth of eight children of Duane and Margaret Cardall. He graduated from Olympus High School, earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree at Utah State University, and was pursuing a doctorate in molecular ecology at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff on a Science Foundation Arizona Fellowship.2Northern Arizona University. Brian Cardall, Doctoral Student His father, Duane Cardall, was the editorial director at KSL-TV and Radio in Salt Lake City.3Deseret News. Utah Lawmaker, Duane Cardall Advocate Law Enforcement Training in Mental Illness
Cardall had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. His father later said a prior breakdown had occurred during a period of intense academic stress while Brian was finishing his master’s degree.4Salt Lake Tribune. Brian Cardall Obituary
What Happened on State Road 59
Cardall was driving home from a wedding with his wife, Anna, and their two-year-old daughter, Ava, when he began experiencing a manic episode in Washington County, near Hurricane. Anna pulled over so Brian could take his medication, but before it took effect he removed his clothing and ran into the roadway. Anna, six months pregnant with their second daughter, locked the toddler in the car and called 911, telling the dispatcher her husband had “full blown lost it” and that she feared he would be struck by a car. Dispatch relayed that officers were responding to a psychiatric situation.5Salt Lake Tribune. Cardall Taser Death Controversy1Deseret News. Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Taser Incident Settled by Family, Hurricane
Hurricane Police Officer Kenneth Thompson and Police Chief Lynn Excell arrived to find Cardall standing naked in the road. According to court documents, Thompson ordered Cardall to the ground 13 times. Cardall, confused and disoriented, shouted that they were in a “standoff” and begged the officers not to shoot.6Courthouse News Service. Bipolar Man’s Death by Taser Needs Jury Trial1Deseret News. Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Taser Incident Settled by Family, Hurricane
What happened in the next moment was disputed. Thompson and Excell told investigators that Cardall “charged” at Thompson and that the officer fired his Taser in self-defense. Anna Cardall testified that her husband merely turned toward the officer as though he were about to say something. A passing motorist who witnessed the encounter said Cardall took “one small step” in the officer’s direction. Thompson deployed the Taser, then fired it a second time about two seconds later. Chief Excell handcuffed Cardall. When a third officer arrived shortly afterward, he found that Cardall had no pulse and was not breathing. Paramedics transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.1Deseret News. Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Taser Incident Settled by Family, Hurricane6Courthouse News Service. Bipolar Man’s Death by Taser Needs Jury Trial
What the Autopsy Found
The Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that Cardall died of “ventricular fibrillation following conducted energy weapon deployment during a manic episode with psychotic features.” Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Erik Christensen found that the Taser “contributed to or caused heart irregularities” leading to death. He identified several aggravating factors: the Taser barbs penetrated deeply into Cardall’s bare chest directly over the cardiac axis, there was no clothing to buffer the current, and Thompson had fired two cycles of electrical stimulation. Christensen said the initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation was “consistent with findings seen in cases of electrocution.”7Salt Lake Tribune. Cardall Autopsy Findings
Christensen rejected “excited delirium” as a cause, noting that Cardall did not display the hyperthermia or extreme physical strength typically associated with that syndrome. The autopsy found low levels of THC in Cardall’s system but identified his manic episode as “most likely a manifestation of his underlying bipolar disorder.”7Salt Lake Tribune. Cardall Autopsy Findings8Deseret News. Hurricane Officer Cleared in Cardall Taser Incident
Why the Officer Was Not Charged
The Washington County Critical Incident Task Force investigated the incident and forwarded its report to Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap. A panel of senior prosecutors from the Utah Attorney General’s Office also reviewed the findings.9Deseret News. Attorney Given Report on Taser Death8Deseret News. Hurricane Officer Cleared in Cardall Taser Incident
On November 19, 2009, Belnap announced that Officer Thompson would face no criminal charges. In a formal letter, Belnap wrote that Thompson “responded to a tense, uncertain and rapidly unfolding situation in a manner consistent with his training” and had not intended or foreseen that his actions would cause Cardall’s death. Thompson, who had been placed on leave after the incident, returned to duty as a school resource officer in Hurricane.8Deseret News. Hurricane Officer Cleared in Cardall Taser Incident
The $2 Million Wrongful Death Settlement
In April 2010, the Cardall family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah before Judge Clark Waddoups. The plaintiffs were Anna Cardall, daughters Ava and Bella, and Brian’s parents, Duane and Margaret Cardall. They sued Hurricane City, Officer Thompson, and Chief Excell, alleging wrongful death, excessive force, deprivation of constitutional rights, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Anna Cardall argued that Thompson “should not have used his Taser on her unarmed and naked husband.”10vLex. Cardall v. Thompson1Deseret News. Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Taser Incident Settled by Family, Hurricane
On January 11, 2012, Judge Waddoups denied qualified immunity to the officers on the excessive-force claim, holding that the conflicting eyewitness accounts of whether Cardall posed a threat required a jury trial. The judge wrote that “if all factual disputes are resolved in favor of Anna, Brian was not a threat to the officers who impatiently Tased him.”6Courthouse News Service. Bipolar Man’s Death by Taser Needs Jury Trial
Rather than go to trial, the parties settled in December 2012. The City of Hurricane paid $2 million to the Cardall family. The agreement characterized the payment as a “compromise of doubtful and disputed claims” and was not an admission of liability. A portion of the money was placed in trust for Brian’s two daughters, and Judge Waddoups formally dismissed the case on January 4, 2013.11Salt Lake Tribune. Cardall Lawsuit Settlement Details
How the Case Changed Utah Police Training
At the time of the incident, the Hurricane Police Department had not received Crisis Intervention Team training, a 40-hour program modeled on the Memphis Police Department’s approach that teaches officers de-escalation techniques for psychiatric emergencies. As of late 2010, only about 12 percent of Utah’s roughly 1,200 law enforcement officers held active CIT certification.5Salt Lake Tribune. Cardall Taser Death Controversy12Salt Lake Tribune. CIT Training Advocacy Following Cardall Death
Duane Cardall, Anna Cardall, and NAMI Utah worked with state Sen. Patricia Jones to push for broader adoption of CIT training. Speaking at the NAMI Utah Conference in November 2010, Duane Cardall argued that Tasers should be treated as potentially lethal weapons and used only as an alternative to deadly force rather than as a “tool of convenience.” He also called for greater emphasis on mental health education in the Peace Officer Standards and Training curriculum.13NAMI Utah. Duane Cardall NAMI Conference Presentation
The effort produced Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 in the 2011 Utah legislative session, sponsored by Sen. Jones with Rep. Paul Ray as House floor sponsor. The resolution designated the CIT program as the “model of best practice for law enforcement intervention with persons who have a mental illness” and encouraged agencies statewide to maintain trained CIT officers in all jurisdictions.14Utah Legislature. S.C.R. 1 – Crisis Intervention Team Program Concurrent Resolution15Utah Legislature. S.C.R. 1 Bill Status16Brian Cardall Memorial. Brian’s Passing
The resolution was an encouragement rather than a mandate. A Salt Lake City detective involved in CIT training said the Cardall case motivated several departments to begin sending officers to the CIT Academy, and the Hurricane Police Department was among the agencies that started attending.12Salt Lake Tribune. CIT Training Advocacy Following Cardall Death The Hurricane Police Department’s website now lists “Crisis Intervention” among the topics in its monthly in-house training program.17City of Hurricane. Police Department
Where Things Stand Now
Anna Cardall gave birth to the couple’s second daughter, Bella Aspen Cardall, on September 16, 2009, three months after Brian’s death. She moved from Flagstaff back to the Salt Lake City area to be closer to family.18Salt Lake Tribune. Bella Cardall Birth Announcement
Kenneth Thompson remained with the Hurricane Police Department for the rest of his career. He retired in April 2023 after 20 years in law enforcement, 19 of them in Hurricane, and was honored by the Hurricane City Council for his service.19St. George News. Hurricane City Council Honors Outgoing Police Officers