Opinion ID: 589639
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cowan

Text: 4 On August 25, 1988, around 1:30 a.m., officers of the Doraville Police Department arrested Frederick Cowan at his home for driving without lights, driving while under the influence, and resisting arrest. Cowan was taken to the station and placed in a holding cell. Cowan had been drinking prior to his arrest. According to radio dispatcher Ryan Fleming, who testified as a government witness, Cowan looked violent as he was led handcuffed to the cell. Throughout the night, Cowan yelled, rattled and kicked the bars of his cell, and asked to see a doctor. 5 Around 5:15 or 6:00 that morning, Myers reported for duty as the watch commander at the station. Myers testified that he was informed by radio dispatcher Clint Jett that Cowan was high on dope, had been fighting with police officers, had broken his prison bunk, and that two officers had been hurt in attempting to arrest him. Myers further testified that when he asked Jett why Cowan had not been shackled, 2 Jett responded that he was scared to go back there. 6 Myers went to his office, which was upstairs in the station, to obtain his stun gun that he kept inside his desk. A stun gun is a battery-operated device that sends electrical voltage into a person's body when fired. The electric charge retards or paralyzes muscle movement for a period of time. 7 Myers had purchased the stun gun in 1988 or 1989 when he was then a Lieutenant with the Doraville Police Department. He purchased the gun for use against rowdy prisoners. Chief Everett and Assistant Chief William Davis of the Doraville Police Department both had informed Myers that the stun gun was unauthorized and told him not to use it. Doraville Police Department regulations provided that an officer could not use a stun gun without official authorization. 8 Myers, accompanied by Jett and Fleming, entered Cowan's cell with the stun gun. Myers directed Cowan to move away from the cell door with his back to the wall so that he could safely enter the cell. Cowan responded, M.F. I'm not going anywhere. Myers activated the stun gun and entered the cell. He asked Cowan to lay down and stretch his hands above his head so that he could be handcuffed to the bunk. When Cowan, who was sitting on the bunk, failed to respond, Myers aimed the stun gun at Cowan's chest and fired it. Cowan closed his eyes, looked as if he was in pain, screamed loudly, and in a movement like a muscle contraction, laid down flat on his back on the bunk. Jett then handcuffed Cowan's hands over his head. As Jett was facing the wall pushing Cowan's legs down to shackle them, Myers aimed the stun gun at Cowan's groin area and fired it. Cowan screamed loudly and flinched. Jett then shackled Cowan's feet to the end of the bunk. Cowan had neither been fingerprinted nor booked when these events occurred. 9 Fleming testified that the next day, Jett expressed concern about what would happen if anyone learned of the incident and told Fleming that he needed to be careful what [he] said about the incident that happened. Fleming further testified that Myers told him that he was going to be the one to clear [Myers], and that he remembered the ones that helped him and the ones that hurt him.