Carl D'Andre Johnson was an accomplished architect and religious man, his brother said, not the type of person who would challenge police and wind up dead after receiving a shock from an electronic stun-gun.

But Baltimore County police say Johnson got into a rumble with officers Thursday after crashing his Toyota pickup truck near a busy highway interchange, and continued fighting after being doused with pepper spray and receiving an initial hit from a Taser.

Shortly after he was jolted a second time, county police say Johnson, 48, lost consciousness and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. He became the second person to die after being Tasered by a county officer in the past three years.

Police use the devices to halt or restrain belligerent or potentially dangerous suspects. The weapons shoot a pair of electrodes attached to wires, which deliver an electric current that causes pain and muscle contraction, leading to temporary paralysis.

Responding to concerns about deaths, the U.S. Justice Department has conducted several studies and determined that the darts are trouble-free in the vast majority of cases. The leading manufacturer of the devices, Taser International, has stood by their safety, but last fall issued a recommendation that officers avoid shots to the chest.

Click here to read more.