Prosecutors Rest Their Case in Trial Over Police Stun Gun Death of Eurie Martin

By Rachel Pilgrim , The Root

Witnesses recall the officers yelling at Martin while he was face down on the ground and tasing him repeatedly, sometimes for as long as two minutes at a time.

…Eurie Martin, 58, died of respiratory distress after he was tased repeatedly during his arrest on July 7, 2017. Former Washington County Sheriff’s deputies Henry Lee Copeland, Michael Howell and Rhett Scott stopped Martin, who was walking on the side of the road in Deep Step, Ga., following a 911 call about him acting suspicious. Martin was schizophrenic and stopped at a stranger’s house to ask for water during an over-20-mile trek from Milledgeville to Sandersville , Ga., before his fatal arrest…

The officers were indicted for felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, false imprisonment, aggravated assault and reckless conduct in Dec. 2017.

According to the Augusta Chronicle, if convicted of felony murder, Statesboro attorney Francys Johnson said, “This will be the first time in Georgia history that white officers will be held accountable for a Black person’s murder.”…

Dashboard video shows Martin telling the deputies he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but as he continues walking, Howell ordered him to put his hands behind his back…

According to the Chronicle, Martin’s family wailed in the courtroom as more witnesses described the officers kneeling on Martin’s shoulders, legs and waist as they tased him. Some witnesses said they saw the deputies tase Martin for as long as two minutes at a time. Assistant District Attorney Kelly Weathers said Martin was tased at least 15 times within four minutes and 17 seconds…

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