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| Death of Ga. inmate alarms relatives |
| By The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |
| Published: 10/06/2003 |
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Though he had a history of confrontations with police, Ray Austin shouldn't have died after a scuffle with deputies in the Gwinnett County Jail, a cousin said Wednesday. "We want to know the truth about what happened," said Jihad Hud, 25, Austin's cousin. "They did not have to beat him, drug him, and shock him with tasers. I go to law school. I know about the law and this seems unreasonable." Austin, 25, died Friday night at Gwinnett Medical Center. During a Sept. 24 struggle, Austin -- who had a history of mental illness -- bit off a portion of a deputy's ear. He was then shocked three times with a taser, restrained in a chair, and given psychotropic drugs. He soon lost consciousness. Gwinnett sheriff's deputies say Austin had previous discipline problems. Officials say that on two occasions before the fatal encounter, authorities had to use a taser to get him to comply to commands. Austin's first arrest in Gwinnett, for obstruction of a police officer, came in the summer of 2002. Court documents say Austin chased his female roommate from their apartment and locked her out. The woman obtained a restraining order, and Deputies B.K. Cofer and Brandon Bizzell went to the apartment to make Austin leave. The deputies reported a bizarre scene after Austin let them in. He would not respond to their commands and referred to something cooking in the kitchen. "He said, 'I'm cooking' " urine, Cofer said. "And . . . that's just what he was doing." The officers found about 20 knives on the kitchen counter and a hammer in the living room, Cofer said. Austin disobeyed commands to stop and began walking toward the kitchen. Cofer shocked Austin with a taser in the right arm, but it seemed to have no effect. He served a month in jail and got probation for a year. He was arrested for parole violation last month. At the time of his death, he was awaiting a court appearance. Gwinnett police are investigating the death. The coroner's office said it may take 30 to 45 days for test results on the cause of death. |
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