David Cornelius Smith critical after police Taser arrest at YMCA

David Cornelius Smith was thought to have died, but he lived.

He lived. He's in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center. Now, MPD has put the two officers involved with the arrest, Timothy Gorman and Timothy Callahan, on paid administrative leave. That's standard procedure, spokesman Sgt. Bill Palmer said this afternoon.

Smith, 28, experienced what police call a "medical emergency" after being shot with the stun gun. The officers had tried to remove him from the sixth-floor gym, where Palmer said one witness described him as going "berserk."

Palmer also released some background on the officers involved.

Gorman has been with the department since 1996 and has twice been recommended for the Department's Award of Merit and once for the Medal of Valor. He received the department's Medal of Commendation in 1999, and a Unit Citation in 2000, Palmer said. Callahan started with MPD in 1993. He was nominated for the Medal of Commendation and Chief's Award of Merit in 1997, awarded the department's Medal of Commendation twice in 1995, honored with a Chief's Award of Merit in 1997, and another Chief's Award of Merit in 2005 for a four-week deployment with MPD to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Palmer said this afternoon that Smith's status is unknown.