NORWOOD, New York (WWNY) – The guardians of a 12-year-old autistic boy who was tased by police want answers and body cam footage of the incident. But it has been an uphill battle.
John Williams Jr. said his grandson was tased in the face on Oct. 6, 2025.
“I started to break down. I was like, ‘Oh my god, is he going to die?’” Williams said.
The incident began when the boy had a meltdown while Williams was out, and his wife, Crystal, was at home.
Police from Norwood and Norfolk were called to de-escalate the situation, but the boy ran away from home before officers arrived.
Police later found the boy in a nearby field, allegedly wielding a hammer.
An off-duty corrections officer living near the scene became involved, driving over with his UTV and allegedly walking toward the boy with his baton despite being told by police to stay back.
According to a court statement, the corrections officer told police officers to tase the boy after the child turned toward him with the hammer lifted.
“I think my grandson picked the hammer up and put it over his head because he didn’t want his head bashed in,” Williams said.
Williams said the boy was tased, handcuffed and taken to the hospital. The boy faced multiple charges, all of which were dismissed.
The Williams family takes issue with the corrections officer inserting himself into the situation and believes the outcome might have been different if he had not been there.
The corrections officer’s family said they feel he did the right thing to keep nearby children safe.
Williams said there are inconsistencies in documents from those involved. He wants to see body cam footage to determine what happened, but has been unsuccessful so far.
“I want transparency and accountability for everyone involved,” Williams said.
Williams said he believes police should have more training when it comes to dealing with people with special needs.
“I think the people who should be really pushing for that are the town’s political wheel,” Williams said.
Williams said the incident has affected his grandson.
“My grandson has PTSD. He has dreams about the corrections officer with a baton. He’s also talked to me where he’s dreamt about the police shooting him in the head,” Williams said.
The Norwood and Norfolk police departments did not respond to requests for comment.
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