GRUESOME

5 Georgia Cops Charged With Murder in Festivalgoer’s Asphyxiation

Police used a stun gun on 24-year-old Fernando Rodriguez, then piled on top of him. He died at a hospital a few days later.

The Henry County District Attorney’s Office has indicted five Georgia police officers on murder charges after a violent encounter left a 24-year-old man dead. NBC News reports that a nude Fernando Rodriguez was leaving the Imagine Music Festival in Hampton, Georgia, when police approached him, used a stun gun, and then piled on top of him. The incident was captured in bodycam footage. He died at a hospital days later, where a medical examiner determined that his cause of death was asphyxiation. A county grand jury charged the men—Henry County police officers Robert Butera and Quinton Phillips, and Hampton police officers Marcus Stroud, Gregory Bowlden, and Mason Lewis—on one count of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, and one count of aggravated assault, according to the DA’s office. Each officer was also charged for violating their oath of office.

In a statement, an attorney for Rodriguez’s family says they are happy with the indictment. “Fernando’s family has been patiently waiting for justice in this case, and they are very glad to see that the process is now moving forward,” Pate said. “We are especially grateful that the officers have all been charged with murder, and we think the charges fit the crime.”