Syracuse, NY - A federal judge has ended a $10 million lawsuit against a Clay police officer in the county's first Taser death, ruling that the officer did not use excessive force in firing at an agitated man who died minutes later.

Christopher Jackson's heart stopped after being stunned by the Taser probes on March 3, 2008 at the Norstar Apartments on Henry Clay Boulevard, the autopsy showed. His mother had called 911 to get Jackson, 36, psychiatric help after he became upset over lost car keys. A neighbor had called as well.

Officer Kevin Drumm, of the now-defunct Clay police department, was cleared of wrongdoing by an Onondaga County grand jury soon after Jackson's death.

Now, Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick Scullin has ruled that the responding officer did not violate Jackson's Constitutional rights during the confrontation.

He pointed to evidence that Jackson was walking toward the officer yelling - and the officer was stepping back - at the time. The officer warned Jackson that he was going to use his Taser if he didn't stop. Both the officer and a friend of Jackson's - the only other eyewitness - described the confrontation in a similar way.

It's not unreasonable for officers to use a Taser when a suspect is actively resisting arrest, the judge said in November. He ruled that Drumm attempted to use other means in arresting Jackson and used the Taser as a last resort.

The judge also dismissed eight state-law claims without a ruling on the grounds that the family's lawyer did not file them in time. It's not clear what impact those claims - including negligence, assault and battery - would have had on the lawsuit's outcome. Attorney Christina Cagnina did not return calls seeking comment. (The full decision is included below.)

Jackson's mother, Verna Gordon, criticized her lawyer for not filing the state claims in time and argued that the witnesses who convinced the judge to close the lawsuit weren't telling the truth.

She pointed to an expert hired by her lawyer who wrote an affidavit blasting the police officers' handling of the situation. That expert, Ken Katsaris, has a long history of testifying about law enforcement training issues, but he's best known as the Florida sheriff who arrested serial murderer Ted Bundy.

Katsaris said the officer escalated the situation, bungled his interaction with a man who had a history of mental illness and did not get him medical attention soon enough. He argued that Drumm should have physically defended himself against Jackson, an argument the judge discounted.

After reviewing the case, Scullin decided Nov. 13 to close the lawsuit against Drumm, the sheriff's office and the county. He said no trial was needed because there was no factual dispute over the evidence that led to his decision.

That marked the final chapter of a story that began when Jackson - a chef by trade -- was shot in the head during an attempted robbery in 2002.

He suffered from extreme stress and emotional outbursts as a result of the brain injury, Cagnina wrote in court papers.

Gordon said doctors told her to call 911 for deputies to help calm Jackson down and take him to CPEP if needed. CPEP is the psychiatric emergency room at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center.

Gordon called for help on three occasions with no problems, she said. But the fourth time ended in Jackson's death.

That night, Gordon said her son was yelling, agitated and throwing things around because he couldn't find the car keys.

A neighbor also called police after hearing Jackson yelling and slamming things in the apartment. At 9 p.m., Jackson came out and was screaming and yelling in the hallway, according to the witness.

Gordon and Jackson went downstairs to wait for police. But by the time they got there, a neighbor had already let the police in. The officers reached the family's second-floor apartment and found the door open.

Drumm, the officer, started to interview a family friend inside. Three other deputies went outside to the balcony overlooking the front door.

From below, Jackson saw them and took off running. He took a staircase back to his apartment, where he encountered Drumm and his friend, Rodney Thomas.

Jackson entered the apartment and confronted the officer, both Drumm and Thomas testified.

Thomas described Jackson yelling at the officer. Drumm described Jackson's fists clenched and arms flailing.

The officer had a Taser drawn. Both said that Jackson advanced on the officer, who told the agitated man to calm down or he would use the Taser. Every time Jackson took a step forward, Drumm took a step back.

At some point, Drumm fired the Taser. Jackson collapsed to the floor.

All of this happened in a matter of seconds. By the time Gordon arrived, her son was already on the floor, she said. Jackson was pronounced dead at Saint Joseph's Hospital Health Center about an hour and 20 minutes later.

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Read the judge's full decision:

Federal judge closes Taser death lawsuit