Our firm just filed a federal lawsuit against Henry County, the City of Hampton, Georgia, and several police officers for the death of Fernando Rodriguez in 2019. Mr. Rodriguez was tased over 15 times by police officers and was eventually suffocated to death by officers sitting on him. Mr. Rodriguez posed absolutely no threat to the officers or anyone else. He was unarmed, naked, and in need of medical attention. Officers on the scene used excessive force and violated Mr. Rodriguez’s constitutional rights when they continued to deploy their Tasers despite the absence of any threat or attempt to flee. The state medical examiner determined that the cause of death was homicide, resulting from suffocation.
During the encounter, officers called Mr. Rodriguez, an American citizen of Mexican descent, a “sweaty little hog” and threatened to kick him in the mouth so he would “lose all his teefes.” Officers shot him multiple times with Tasers calling out “hit him again” over and over while Mr. Rodriguez remained motionless in the street.
The Rodriguez Lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia and included the full body cam footage of the encounter between Mr. Rodriguez and the Henry County Police Officer (edited only for nudity).
For media inquires, please contact Page Pate or Jess Johnson at our firm.
