A Baltimore women died in city police custody late Tuesday — the second in the area to die this year after police officers used a Taser.

Uywanda Peterson, 43, was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Hospital at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Police said Peterson attacked a city narcotics officer “without provocation” during a narcotics investigation on the 3300 block of Belair Road, causing the officer to strike Peterson in the chest with a stun gun or Taser during the attack.

In March, Baltimore County police reported that Ryan Lee Meyers, 40, of Middle River, died after being shocked with the device.

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Meyers, whose family said he suffered from bipolar disorder, refused to drop a baseball bat in the house he shared with his parents, according to police.

Autopsy results in both cases are pending.

The use of the stun guns has been a hot topic for police and politicians within the last year.

In Anne Arundel County, residents called for the police department to purchase the less lethal weapons after a series of police-involved shootings. Police there have not yet made a decision on the issue.

After weeks of debate, including objections from the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Howard County Council recently approved the use of the devices for the Howard County Police Department.

Baltimore County recently completed a yearlong pilot program with the Taser and, despite Meyers’ death, views the devices as successful.

lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com

sjanis@baltimoreexaminer.com