COLORADO SPRINGS (KXRM) — After a federal lawsuit was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, a state lawsuit has now been filed in connection with the 2022 incident involving a Colorado Springs Police officer that left 31-year-old Jacob Root paralyzed.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, around 1:30 p.m. on May 16, 2022, law enforcement located a stolen car in the parking lot of a motel in the 3900 block of North Nevada Avenue, just south of Austin Bluffs Parkway. CSPD said Root was driving the stolen car, and when officers tried to contact him, he hit a marked patrol car as he sped away, and officers did not chase after him.
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About 20 minutes later, officers once again located the stolen car at a gas station east of Memorial Park. Root was reportedly walking from the store to the stolen car, and when he spotted officers approaching, he ran from them. CSPD Officer Robert Comstock ordered Root to stop, and when he continued to run toward Airport Road, Comstock used his taser, causing Root to fall forward down a rocky slope onto the pavement. During his treatment at the hospital following his arrest, Root was found to have been paralyzed by a broken neck.
“Any time there is a use of force, especially when it results in serious bodily injury, it is imperative for our department to look critically at the decision-making and context surrounding the use of force. As such, CSPD initiated a level two internal affairs investigation into the use of force by Officer Comstock,” CSPD said in a case of interest release that includes the body-worn camera footage of the incident. “After review through the deputy chief, Officer Comstock was exonerated from any policy violation or wrongdoing. CSPD stands by the findings of this internal review. Officer Comstock is a valued employee and is in good standing with the department.”
In 2024, Root filed a federal lawsuit against Comstock, alleging the officer’s use of force violated CSPD’s own policies forbidding the use of a stun gun on a surface where a suspect could fall and the use of a stun gun without warning a suspect…