NAACP calls on GBI to investigate after officer accused of police brutality cleared

MANCHESTER, Ga. — The NAACP is standing by their demands that a police officer be fired after a woman was Tased and thrown to the ground during an arrest.

This comes as the department the officer works for said their investigation showed the officer was following policy.

“He grabbed that young lady in the breast area, the chest area, pulled her up, slammed her to the ground,” is how Dr. Glenn Dowell with the NAACP describes the police body-worn camera video released by Manchester Police Wednesday. He said he still believes the officer should be fired.

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“So, running your mouth is not a direct indicator that you should be abused,” said Dr. Dowell.

Body camera video, from Officer Donavan Scott-Sinclair with the Manchester Police Department, shows the interaction from June 10 that led to calls for him to be fired. The officer was initially talking to another woman in the car, but Zykerria Bowles can be heard yelling at the officers.

In the highly edited body camera video, you can see the moments officers find what they say is marijuana in a container under Bowles seat. And you can hear the officer say, “Got you.” Then, the footage shows the confrontation where the two tussled.

Video shows Bowles yelling at the officer to “get off of me” while she is on the ground.

Bowles was tased once, before police say she punched the officer, and she was then tased a second time by a second officer.

Bowles told Channel 2 Action News, “I was scared for my life out there, really.”

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But Manchester Police said they investigated and found “there is no factual basis to support the allegations that Officer Scott-Sinclair acted inappropriately or applied physical force.”

Channel 2 Action News looked into Scott-Sinclair’s POST record, which shows he was fired from another department in 2018. He worked at several other departments.

In the past, he was once charged with murder after investigators say he shot and killed a man while working security, but those charges were later dropped.

In this most recent case, Manchester PD concluded Bowles injuries “are consistent with someone who resists a lawful arrest.”

Dr. Dowell said this is not over: “There’s a lot that’s next, we are going to file lawsuits related to his behavior.” The group also wants the GBI to investigate.

Bowles is now facing a slew of charges including, battery on an officer, obstruction, and disorderly conduct.

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