The family of an 18-year-old graffiti artist who died after being tasered by Miami police have called for an independent investigation into his death.

Israel Hernandez, whose work had recently been featured in several galleries in the Miami Beach area, died in the early hours of Tuesday morning after being chased by police and shot in the chest by a taser.

Police say officers were "forced to use the taser to avoid a physical incident" with the teenager, who had been spray-painting a private building when confronted by law enforcement.

"During the foot pursuit, the subject encountered officers face to face … and ignored officers' commands to stop," Miami Beach police chief Raymond Martinez said in a statement. "In order to affect his arrest, an officer deployed his conducted electrical weapon (Taser)."

The death is under investigation by the city and the state attorney's office.

A police report filed by officer Thomas Lincoln records that Hernandez was being chased on foot through Miami Beach by two police officers and by others in vehicles. At one point the teenager, who wore braces on his teeth and was described as weighing less than 140lbs, attempted to vault a fence, Lincoln said, and lost his footing on landing. Hernandez got to his feet, the report states, and ran out of Lincoln's field of vision.

"Two seconds after losing sight of the subject I heard an unknown unit on the radio advise that the subject was in custody,'' Lincoln said in his report. "I began walking north on Harding Avenue to 71st Street where I observed the subject sitting on the ground and against a wall.''

After Hernandez was tasered officers noticed he was showing signs of distress, police said. He was taken to hospital by a fire-rescue crew and was later pronounced dead.

"The city of Miami Beach would like to extend their condolences to the family of Israel Hernandez,'' Martinez said.

The Miami Herald reported that Hernandez's family and friends gathered at his family's home in Bay Harbor Islands on Wednesday evening. "He wanted to change the world somehow through art," the teenager's 21-year-old sister, Offir Hernandez, told the newspaper. "We want answers. We only want to know what happened."

The family's lawyer, Todd McPharlin, said his clients wanted an independent investigation of the incident.

Hernandez was originally from Colombia but had lived in Miami for several years. He worked for Glamoir model agency in Miami, helping to art direct fashion shoots and scout suitable photography locations. Heather Bozzone, who runs the agency, said he had become a close friend.

"He was a special spirit, very peaceful, very artistic," Bozzone said. "He's a very respectful kid, would never be involved in a gang, would never know what to do with a knife or a gun."

Bozzone said Hernandez had won his high school's top honor in art and had his work showcased in galleries around Miami and recently at the renowned Art Basel art show. He had recently started a line of custom-made skateboard decks with his best friend, she said.

The medical examiner is yet to rule on a cause of death in the case after an autopsy was carried out on Wednesday. Police said Hernandez did not suffer any further injuries. His family were expected to hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

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