Highlights
- A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer deployed a Taser at a Fort Mojave Indian Reservation gas station on July 16, 2026, sparking a fire around Chuck Coyl.
- Coyl suffered first- and second-degree burns, nerve damage, and faces more than a month of physical therapy, according to prior reporting.
- Use-of-force expert Roy Taylor, with more than four decades of experience, said the video shows escalation without cause and no de-escalation attempt.
- The U.S. Department of the Interior confirmed the Taser deployment and says the incident is under review per DOI policy.
A federal officer's Taser ignited a fire around Chuck Coyl at a gas station on the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation on July 16, 2026, leaving him with first- and second-degree burns, nerve damage, and more than a month of physical therapy ahead, according to prior reporting by Arizona's Family.
New witness video published Wednesday by Arizona's Family shows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer deploy his Taser and Coyl immediately fall to the ground, flames visible around him. Coyl stood and moved away from the fire before the officer forced him back to the ground. The officer then moved a truck that the flames had spread beneath while Coyl remained on the ground.
Coyl told Arizona's Family he and a friend were heading to fish at the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge when the officer told them they could not be there. Coyl said the officer followed them to the gas station, where the confrontation escalated.
Previously released cell phone video of the incident shows what preceded the Taser deployment. In that footage, the officer asks Coyl for identification. Coyl can be heard asking what he is being arrested for, and the officer responds that he is not cooperating "for having committed a crime." Seconds later, the Taser is deployed.
Roy Taylor, a use-of-force expert with more than four decades of law enforcement experience, reviewed the incident for Arizona's Family. "It seemed to me there was an escalation of force without cause," Taylor said. Taylor noted that officers who are properly trained are taught never to use a Taser near any flammable environment, and that the video does not appear to show the officer attempting to de-escalate.
The U.S. Department of the Interior confirmed the Taser deployment and stated the incident is undergoing review per DOI policy, according to prior Arizona's Family reporting.
Who is overseeing the investigation?
The incident remains under federal review, with the U.S. Department of the Interior confirming the Taser deployment and stating it is subject to review under DOI policy. No timeline for the review's conclusion has been publicly disclosed.
The DOI review is ongoing; no charges or disciplinary actions have been publicly announced.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 06/08/2026 01:35
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 06/08/2026 01:35
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 06/08/2026 01:35. Every claim traces to a source.
