Cops: Man 'charged' before fatal Taser shot

The Lindenhurst man who died in Suffolk police custody last week was shot with a Taser by two officers after he stripped down, began flooding his jail cell and charged at them, authorities said Saturday.

Homicide Det. Sgt. Thomas Groneman said that the man, Daniel McDonnell, 40, on Friday stuffed his clothes down the toilet at the First Precinct lockup in West Babylon, causing the cell to flood with about a quarter-inch of water.

"He had no clothes on, apparently," Groneman said.

McDonnell was to face a morning arraignment on a charge of second-degree criminal contempt, but police instead decided to take him to Stony Brook University Medical Center for a psychological exam because of his behavior.

"He was just acting completely irrational," said Groneman, who is investigating the death.

The officers, two sergeants, told McDonnell to calm down, but he did not, police said.

"He charged at the officers twice," Groneman said.

The sergeants each hit McDonnell with a Taser shock. Groneman would not release the time that elapsed between the shocks or the status of the two officers. He said a Taser is safe to use in water.

McDonnell was arrested Thursday after a dispute with a neighbor who had an order of protection against him, McDonnell's family said.

After his arrest, McDonnell's mother brought prescription medicine to the precinct where he was being held, said Edward Longo, his brother-in-law. It was unclear what type of drug she brought or why it was prescribed to McDonnell.

A family attorney, Richard F. Artura, said McDonnell's father told cops at the time of the arrest that his son was bipolar, had a heart condition and needed medication.

Groneman said the medication issue was being investigated but that standard department policy is to refuse to administer drugs that aren't in properly labeled prescription bottles.

"If it's not in the proper prescription bottle, we don't administer it, because there could be any kind of drug in there," Groneman said.

Longo said McDonnell's wife, Danielle, and 9-year-old son are beset with grief.

The boy burst into tears when he learned his dad was dead, Longo said.

"He cried," Longo said. "He doesn't understand too much."

McDonnell, a carpenter by trade, was meticulous about caring for his house, the brother-in-law said.

"The only thing I can tell you is that Danny is a good guy. He took care of his family. He took care of his house," Longo said.

The neighbor who had the order of protection declined to comment Friday and Saturday.

Longo said that neighbor had sought and received the restraining order from the courts against McDonnell, with whom Longo said there was an ongoing dispute of which he didn't know the details.

Court records show that McDonnell was ticketed in January for reckless endangerment and menacing.

McDonnell is the fifth person to die after the use of a Taser in Suffolk since 2005.

The wake for McDonnell will be Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Boyd Funeral Home in Babylon. The funeral will be Thursday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Lindenhurst at 10 a.m.