Cleveland Police Officers who Tasered Black Man to Death Back at Work

From [HERE] Two Cleveland Police Officers, Stanley Perry and Brian Goza, have returned to the job after being suspended pending an investigation of the July 23, 2010, TASER incident that raised many questions about police procedures and left one local man dead. “All I can say about this is that yes both officers have returned to full duty with the police force,” said Cleveland Police Chief Charles “Buster” Bingham.

“They were recently cleared by a local grand jury and allowed to return to work. I can’t elaborate any further so I will say ‘no comment’ to any other questions on the matter because of the pending litigation against the city and the officers,” he said. The city of Cleveland and the two officers were named in a $25 million, wrongful death suit after an incident where 30-year-old Jermaine Williams died.

Bolivar County Deputy Coroner J.O. Trice said he considered the death of Williams a homicide and attributed it solely to the TASER. “The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia that was induced by the electrical tasing device (TASER),” he said on Saturday. “The young man was quite healthy for a 30-year-old fellow. He said that Williams was hit in the back and front of his body with the TASER [MORE] 

According to the press release from Bingham in the days following the event, “Around 3:18 a.m. on July 23, officers responded to a complaint of people loitering in the 700 block of Cross Street. During the conversations, a bag of suspected cocaine was found on top of one of the vehicles where the individuals were standing.”

Normal police procedure called for the officer to round up all the citizens there and get proper identification on everyone. “One of the people on hand gave the officers several false identities. While they were collecting this information one subject, later identified as Williams, grabbed the suspected bag of cocaine and took off on foot,” said Bingham in the release.

One of the officers pursued and caught up with the subject, who refused to comply with authorities by resisting arrest. The officer then deployed his TASER. A second officer then arrived and Williams received a second TASER hit. After the second hit, the subject was cuffed and officers noticed that he was having medical difficulties.

Emergency services were contacted and the officers tried to revive the subject while waiting. Unfortunately, the efforts were unsuccessful in saving Williams’ life. In November, an outside agency was called in to review the case. 

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations completed its report concerning the event and later returned the case to the Bolivar County District Attorney’s Office.

The case was then presented to the Grand Jury and the officers were allowed to come back to work.

In the civil suit, Williams’ family is seeking the $25 million for loss of society and companionship, present net cash value of Williams’ life expectancy, loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, medical bills or expenses and funeral expenses.