A Georgia family is planning to sue after it was?discovered their family member was Tased up to 13 times?which resulted in his death.
On April 11, Gregory Towns, a 24-year-old black man, was involved in an on-foot chase after East Point police received a call from his girlfriend reporting a “domestic dispute.”
According to a police statement,
“They used a Taser on Mr. Towns. Mr. Towns developed medical difficulties and was taken to Atlanta Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead… As the suspect was being led to waiting police vehicles he began to complain of fatigue. Medical assistance was immediately requested.”
At the time of his death, East Point Police Chief Woodrow Blue would not give an exact amount of how many times Towns was Tased. However, Sgt. Marcus Eberhart and Officer Howard Weems acknowledged they had Tased the victim and also had done so more than once in an attempt to?”make him get up and walk after a foot chase.” Blue called the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in to investigate the death of the victim while in custody.
It has now been discovered after reviewing the Taser logs that Towns was Tased up to 13 times. According to WSB-TV 2, Sgt. Eberhart was noted to have 10 stuns and three for Officer Weems. Although the logs show 13 stuns, it has been acknowledged that it is not certain how many times contact was made for each stun.
Medical examiners also determined Towns’ death was a homicide. In a report it was written that “physical extertion and conducted electrical stimulation” were the contributing factors in his death. It was also noted that Towns was obese, had high blood pressure, and sickle-cell trait.
The family’s attorney, Chris Stewart, plans to file a lawsuit and claims the officers violated policy by using a “Taser to escort or prod a subject.” He also claims that Towns was not resisting arrest and was simply tired from the foot chase.
Stewart also stated:
“Mr. Towns’ killing is not about race. It’s about police brutality… going to the extreme.”?
Although Towns was a black man, both officers involved were also black.
Eberhart has since resigned to avoid termination, and Weems was fired though his lawyer stated he was only following orders from his supervisor, Eberhart and blames Towns’ preexisting?medical conditions for his death. He is also appealing his termination.
The Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard has yet to decide whether criminal charges will be pressed against the two officers.
Is there anyone who can explain to me the logic behind Tasing someone to make them get up and walk? I would think Tasing someone would make them fall down making the whole endeavor a waste of time. I could be completely wrong though since I’ve never been Tased. This was just unnecessary. Kudos to the police chief that didn’t cover this up!
Check out the Atlanta Journal-Constitution broadcast below!
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Liz Lee?comes from the swamps of South Georgia and has been called an uppity southern woman for being opinionated.?She is a wife, mother of one human child, mother to one furry American Bully, and also your typical everyday Wonder Woman. When she hangs up her cape, you can find her curled up in her office sewing, writing, playing World of Warcraft, or practicing banjo. You can follow her on Facebook to see what issue she is tackling. She also has a Twitter she can’t figure out how to use and is working on a website at this time.
