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Two former Ga. police officers charged with murder for stun gun death of handcuffed man
Washington Post ^ | 08/18/2015 | By Wesley Lowery

Posted on 08/18/2015 2:46:09 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd

Two former police officers from East Point, Ga. have been indicted on charges of murder in the April 2014 death of Gregory Towns, a 24-year-old unarmed black man who died after a stun gun was used on him while he was in handcuffs.

Former Cpl. Howard Weems and Sgt. Marcus Eberhart were indicted on charges of felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and several charges of violation of an oath by a public officer.

~snip~

The two officers approached Towns as he left his mother’s apartment complex after allegedly having been involved in a domestic dispute. Towns ran, but was caught by officers after he tripped over a tree branch and fell. According to his family attorney, Towns then struggled to walk, tired from having fled. The officers handcuffed him and used a stun gun to prod him and keep him moving forward, the attorney said.

“He was handcuffed behind his back when this happened, he didn’t have a weapon, he wasn’t the fighting the officers. He was tasered because he was tired and not getting up fast enough,” said Chris Stewart, the Georgia attorney who has been working with Towns’s family. “It’s not just against the law, it’s inhumane. You don’t use a Taser like a cattle prod.”

An autopsy report from the Fulton County medical examiner’s office lists the death as a homicide, citing the stun gun use by police, and says Towns died from “hypertensive cardiovascular disease exacerbated by physical exertion and conducted electrical stimulation.”

Towns’s family says that he was stunned at least 14 times by the two officers, while police documents say the officers’ stun guns were used less than five times. The City of East Point agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Towns’s family for $1 million — the city’s insurance policy maximum.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: leo; stungun; stungundonutwatch; taser
The City of East Point agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Towns’s family for $1 million — the city’s insurance policy maximum.

I bet the Town's Family wished they lived in a bigger town with better insurance.

1 posted on 08/18/2015 2:46:09 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
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To: Responsibility2nd
"I bet the Town's Family wished they lived in a bigger town with better insurance."

That will likely happen when they're broke again.

2 posted on 08/18/2015 2:50:05 PM PDT by Fhios (Immigration without assimilation is an invasion. -- Bobby Jindal)
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To: Responsibility2nd

Good, it’s about time someone got indicted for misusing these tasers. Might make the rest of the cops think twice before using a potentially deadly weapon when it isn’t necessary.


3 posted on 08/18/2015 2:52:36 PM PDT by Boogieman
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To: Responsibility2nd

Not sure what to think about this as the article doesn’t mention the officers’ skin colours.


4 posted on 08/18/2015 2:52:53 PM PDT by subterfuge (Minneseeota: the laughingstock of the nation - for lots of reasons!)
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To: Responsibility2nd
This is one of those times that the cops should be sued too, not just prosecuted.

Oh my gosh, vette6387 is gonna have a stroke!

5 posted on 08/18/2015 2:55:51 PM PDT by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
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To: Responsibility2nd
You can say all the snarky things you want, the guy was a bum, the family are just taking the city for what they can get, whatever, BUT, the cops killed someone they didn't have to.

Let them kill your brother after he had an argument with his wife and see how you feel. I'll guarantee you a million wouldn't even start to satisfy me. The city and police department are lucky to have gotten off for a million dollars. I hope the bad cops rot in prison before they rot in Hell.

6 posted on 08/18/2015 2:57:36 PM PDT by JAKraig (my religion is at least as good as yours)
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To: Responsibility2nd

They don’t say “Cop, who is white” so I conclude that at least one of the cops is non-white.


7 posted on 08/18/2015 2:57:50 PM PDT by I want the USA back (Media: completely irresponsible. Complicit in the destruction of this country)
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To: Responsibility2nd

The anti police movement is going to take us down the path of ‘predator/prey’ relations.

One side may gain an advantage, elk over the wolves, the elk over graze to extinction.

The big cities will descend into dystopia.


8 posted on 08/18/2015 3:00:25 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (BINGO!)
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To: JAKraig

Far too many people are willing to over look human, civil and constitutional rights volitions as long as the victim ‘is a thug’. Disturbing.


9 posted on 08/18/2015 3:03:44 PM PDT by TalonDJ
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To: Boogieman
They tortured the guy to death. When the Police begin protecting the public
from other Police officers I'll know we're heading into Protect and Serve territory.
10 posted on 08/18/2015 3:04:03 PM PDT by MaxMax (Obama's fault)
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To: subterfuge

Both are black.


11 posted on 08/18/2015 3:06:42 PM PDT by snuffy smiff (Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.)
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To: snuffy smiff

Ah.

That explains why the racist reverends, the black lives matter thugs, and the rest of that crowd is not burning down East Point, Ga.


12 posted on 08/18/2015 3:10:53 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (With Great Freedom comes Great Responsibility)
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To: Boogieman

Female cops have to use them, that means the male cops do to.

Before feminism, the male cops would have used brute force to get an arrest in the car.


13 posted on 08/18/2015 3:18:38 PM PDT by donna (Pray for Revival.)
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To: Responsibility2nd
That explains why the racist reverends, the black lives matter thugs, and the rest of that crowd is not burning down East Point, Ga.


14 posted on 08/18/2015 3:20:23 PM PDT by BlueDragon (Thats a nice town you've got there...'be a shame if anything happened to it...)
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To: Responsibility2nd
"Two former Ga. police officers charged with murder for stun gun death of handcuffed man"


15 posted on 08/18/2015 3:30:02 PM PDT by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: Responsibility2nd
"The City of East Point agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Towns’s family for $1 million — the city’s insurance policy maximum."

They should have demanded much more. Let the so-called taxpayers--most with incomes from government--fully support the government that they choose and receive incomes from. Recirculating debt: debt/revenues in, debt/revenues out. It's a vicious circle that dwindles to default.


16 posted on 08/18/2015 3:34:18 PM PDT by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: familyop
Your post of taxpayers supporting the government they choose reminded me of this classic...

Liberal Austin homeowners surprised to find they have to pay all the taxes they voted for
Hotair ^ | 06/02/2014 | Erika Johnsen

Posted on Monday, June 02, 2014 9:18:13 PM by SeekAndFind

17 posted on 08/18/2015 3:42:24 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (With Great Freedom comes Great Responsibility)
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To: Responsibility2nd

Like always in these cases I will wait for the rest of the story before commenting.


18 posted on 08/18/2015 3:44:17 PM PDT by PoloSec ( Believe the Gospel: how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again)
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To: Responsibility2nd

Yup!


19 posted on 08/18/2015 4:05:27 PM PDT by snuffy smiff (Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.)
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To: MaxMax

Yes, and the worst part is, I think a lot of cops are not too many steps away from being this sadistic. Many of them seem to resort to a “jolt” just to get people to comply quickly, because that is easier for them than having a discussion.

They may not be shocking someone a dozen times, but once you have decided to use violence, not for self defense, but to achieve compliance, you have crossed a line that eventually leads to consequences like this case.


20 posted on 08/18/2015 4:19:53 PM PDT by Boogieman
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