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Still no answer into the death of Jason Jones at the hands of the Catskill police
Kate Lisa reports for New York State of Politics that the family of Jason Jones is still seeking answers in his 2021 death at the Village of Catskill police station. Jones caught fire when an officer shot him with a Taser after Jones had doused himself with hand sanitizer in the lobby of the Catskill police department. Mary Jo Snyder, Jones's biological mother, said, "I'm trying to move on, you know, but with the investigation still going on, it's kind of hard.... I'm angry about it. I don't see why it's taking so long — it seems like we're all getting the runaround." Investigators with the state attorney general's office met the family last week, but did not provide an update, only telling them that thorough investigations take time. Security camera footage shows Jones covering himself in hand sanitizer, and the officers setting him on fire with the Taser. It also shows the officers running away when he catches fire, instead of helping Jones. The Taser shot led to severe third-degree burns, and Jones died weeks later in the Clark Burn Center at SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital. Snyder said, "I'm pretty sure they were taught that when you have alcohol base on your skin, don't use a Taser.... Retraining is good, they should retrain everyone, but when this incident happened, they [the officers] were already trained. ...They should be charged. I just hope Jason gets some justice for this because this should have never happened." Officials with the Catskill Police Department and the state attorney general's office declined to comment on the ongoing case on July 17. Kevin Luibrand, a lawyer with Luibrand Law Firm PLLC, represents Jones' family and said, "I've done this almost 40 years — I know things take time, but this is now at the almost 20-month mark with a video.... With a case that's not real complicated, it's fairly simple, and a decision has not even been made as to what to do with the case?" Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.