The indictment alleges killing Henry County Police Officers Robert Butera and Quinton Phillips and former Police officers Mason Lewis, Marcus Stroud and Gregory Bowlden of Hampton, Rodriguez on September 20, 2019 after contacting them before a concert at Atlanta Motor Speedway the police had.
Officials turned themselves in on Monday, leaving a $ 100,000 bond each Tuesday.
The indictment, handed down on Friday night by a Henry County grand jury, charges all five officers of premeditation in one case, murder in two cases, murder in two cases, aggravated assault and violation of the oath of office.
A Henry County prosecutor’s spokeswoman said arrest warrants were issued against the five officers Monday morning.
The five-page indictment states that Rodriguez suffocated. Body cam footage shows him walking down a street completely naked, away from the officers when they monitored him more than a dozen times.
The indictment alleges that officers contributed to Rodriguez’s death by “stretching him out on the floor, handcuffed and handcuffed, holding him and putting pressure on his body,” contrary to state law .
“Rodriguez, who lived in the Atlanta area, was walking out of the Imagine Music Festival at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton when he was met by officials,” a prosecutor said in a press release. “The officers not only held his naked body on the floor, but hit Rodriguez more than a dozen times with their tasers.”
In an interview with CNN on Monday, the Rodriguez family lawyer called the video of the incident “gross”.
“This is a clear violation of civil rights, and apparently the prosecutor agrees,” said family attorney Page Pate.
The city of Hampton has already settled a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit, according to Godfather. The city did not respond to requests for comment.
“They paid the family $ 3 million as soon as they saw the complaint,” Pate said, adding that he believed Henry County will resolve a similar lawsuit.
Scott Key, attorney for ex-officer Mason Lewis, told CNN in an interview on Tuesday, “We think murder is deliberately excessive. He did his job. ”
“He’s devastated,” Key said of his client’s reaction to the indictment. “But at the same time, he’s looking forward to his day in court. We look forward to conducting our own investigation into the case and seeing the process through to the end.”
Key told CNN that Lewis has not been involved in law enforcement since the incident. CNN couldn’t reach lawyers for other officials.
“The family is very happy [with the indictment]“Page told CNN. “You have patiently waited for justice. We know this is a long process, but it’s a good start. ”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has conducted the investigation into Rodriguez’s death, according to the DA office press release.
