A grand jury determined that no charges will be filed against any Cobb County police officer involved in a Marietta man’s in-custody death following a high-speed crash in August 2017, according to court documents obtained by AJC.com.
The decision made Thursday found that the use of force by officers involved in the death of Devin Howell, 30, was justified and no further legal action should be taken, court documents said.
Howell worked on a concrete crew for the Cobb Department of Transportation, Cobb District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Kim Isaza confirmed.
He allegedly got into an altercation with Cobb officers after a crash on Aug. 25, 2017, and the GBI and Cobb police said he had been driving a white Dodge Caravan at a high rate of speed, Isaza confirmed.
Howell was driving westbound on Roswell Road, and as he entered the southbound ramp to South Marietta Parkway, he allegedly struck the back of another vehicle, Isaza said.
Officers found Howell unresponsive and not restrained by a seat belt, but he was soon revived and began to advance on the officers, Isaza said. At that point, one of the officers fired his Taser at Howell.
Howell continued to struggle, leading officers to handcuff him to a long backboard until an ambulance arrived, Isaza confirmed. He then fell back into cardiac arrest and died.
Howell had an extensive medical history, Isaza confirmed, but the manner of death was labeled as “complications of excited delirium syndrome.”
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