Ga. Family Asks Justice Department To Examine Taser Death

L. Chris Stewart, the attorney representing Sherman’s family, said he’s asking for a federal investigation because they’ve “lost faith” in Coweta County’s district attorney on presenting the case before a grand jury.

“It has been almost 10 months now since Chase Sherman was Tasered to death,” Stewart said. “It was all caught on tape, all caught by body cam and nothing has happened.”

Stewart said he wants the Department of Justice to step in on the case as the agency has done in his other clients’ cases. Stewart represents the families of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Walter Scott in South Carolina – two African-American men who were fatally shot by police.

“We need the same action in Chase Sherman,” Stewart said. Sherman was white.

Coweta County District Attorney Pete Skandalakis said his office has been reviewing the investigation that was submitted to them by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and a decision on the case will be made “very soon.”

“We want to be very careful with this case. We’ve reviewed a number of matters, and are looking over the file and just making sure we’ve got everything in order,” he said.

Skandalakis said he welcomes the Justice Department being involved in the case.

The two deputies involved in Sherman’s death are currently still working, according to the Coweta County Sheriffs’ Office.