Taser gun inventor dies, aged 88

Jack Cover, who invented the Taser stun gun now used by thousands of police agencies as a better way to subdue suspects, has died at 88.

Mr Cover, who had Alzheimer's disease, died of pneumonia Saturday at Golden Coast Senior Living in Mission Viejo, according to a statement from Taser International, the company that now makes the stun gun.

Rick Smith, Taser International's chief executive, called Mr Cover "one of the most influential inventors of modern times".

The Taser issues darts attached to wires that deliver electric shocks that temporarily subdue aggressive suspects.

While the device has become a common tool for police officers, it is still controversial because it has been linked to a number of deaths.

Cover, a one-time Nasa scientist, began developing the Taser as a nonlethal weapon to combat the hijackings and riots that were happening in the 1960s, Mr Smith said.

He derived its name from a fictional weapon in a favourite childhood book, 'Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle', one of a series of adventure stories by Victor Appleton.

"What an amazing thought, stunning people with blue balls of electricity," Mr Cover told The Washington Post in 1976, recalling his fascination with the book.

He added that an "A" was added to the name of his invention because "we got tired of answering the phone 'TSER' for Tom Swift's Electric Rifle".

The Los Angeles police department began using the devices, still somewhat of a novelty, in 1980, and other departments also began using them.

More than 13,400 law enforcement, correctional and military agencies in 44 countries now use Taser guns, according to Taser International's website.

Critics note that numerous suspects have died in confrontations in which the Taser has been used. The American Civil Liberties Union is pressing to have it classified as a deadly weapon.