Man hit with stun gun after refusing to cooperate with police

ST. GEORGE — A St. George man was arrested in Bloomington Hills Monday night in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident that resulted in the man being hit with a stun gun by police.

Eric Myers, booking photo posted April 6, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s booking, St. George News
Eric Myers, booking photo posted April 6, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s booking, St. George News

Police officers responded to the report of a possible domestic violence situation in the area of East Evergreen Drive around 9:20 p.m., according to a probable cause statement by St. George Police Officer K. Chamberlain.

The man involved in the incident, identified as Eric Shawn Myers, 41, allegedly went on a rampage through his girlfriend’s house and refused to cooperate with police once they arrived.

“We had evidence where he had assaulted his girlfriend and caused some damage to the home during an argument,” Sgt. Sam Despain said Tuesday. “He also didn’t obey officers’ commands.”

Myers was also intoxicated at the time of the incident, Despain said.

According to the probable cause statement, when Chamberlain arrived at the scene he was met on the street by a man and woman who told him to wait for more officers. They said they believed the suspect might shoot someone. At this point the officer retrieved an AR-15 rifle from his patrol car as a precaution.

“When we respond to incidents of domestic violence, those are the critical incidents, the most volatile incidents we respond to,” Despain said. “And when there’s information that there may be weapons involved in an incident, officers take precautions.”

Chamberlain saw Myers exit the residence and head toward his truck. According to his probable cause statement, Chamberlain believed Myers had an object in one of his hands, but he couldn’t see clearly. The officer made his presence known and told Myers to show his hands. Myers told the officer to leave him alone and kept walking to his truck.

Myers continued to ignore Chamberlain as he reached into his truck, the statement said. At this point additional officers arrived. Myers exited the truck and it was observed that he wasn’t holding anything in either hand. Chamberlain slung his rifle at this point.

Myers spoke with officers for a moment, then told them to leave him alone. The officers started to approach Myers who in turn started to move toward his truck.

When the male reached back into the vehicle, I observed him reaching towards a rifle of some sort,” Chamberlain said in his report.

Chamberlain shouted to the other officer about Myers possibly reaching for a gun, at which point the other officer shot Myers with his stun gun. The shock put Myers on the ground and the officers proceeded to put him in handcuffs. While taking him into custody, police noted a strong odor of alcohol coming from Myers.

A search of Myers’ truck produced three firearms, one of which came back as stolen when police ran a check on it. Having prior felony convictions, Myers is listed as a “restricted person” who cannot possess firearms.

Myers was booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility following a checkup at Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George.

He has been charged with one second-degree felony for the stolen firearm; three third-degree felonies for being a restricted person possessing firearms; two class A misdemeanors for child abuse and criminal mischief; three class C misdemeanors related to assault, carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and interfering with an arresting officer; and one class C misdemeanor for intoxication.

Misdemeanors related to criminal mischief and assault are attributed to domestic violence.

According to booking information, bail was set at $31,550. Myers made his first appearance before the 5th District Court Tuesday; his first roll call appearance is set for April 13.

St. George News was at the scene Monday night following the conclusion of the incident and spoke to Sgt. David Williams. As the incident was fresh and still under investigation at the time, he was unable to go into detail at the time, though confirmed police had responded to a domestic disturbance that reportedly involved firearms, and that a suspect was in custody.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

St. George News Senior Reporter Mori Kessler contributed to this report.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

 

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50 Comments

  • Mike April 7, 2015 at 6:01 pm

    The headline is gentile. It could have read, “Man shot with stun gun while reaching for rifle.” This guy is lucky he is not dead. The police are lucky the stun gun worked, this time.

    • triston_myers April 8, 2015 at 11:19 pm

      You know it doesn’t mean he was reaching for a rifle it could have been they took precautions they always think of the worst to be safe

      • Mike April 9, 2015 at 10:03 am

        Stop trying to defend him. The article quotes the police report. “When the male reached back into the vehicle, I observed him reaching towards a rifle of some sort.” Reaching for a rifle IS threatening an officer in this situation. The man is lucky he is not dead. It would have been a justifiable shooting according to the law.

        • RealMcCoy April 9, 2015 at 10:32 am

          Here is an interesting note:
          When in a civilians hand, the media ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS refers to an AR platform rifle as an “AR-15 ‘assault’ rifle”. They call it by this name to vilify the rifle and instill fear in the reader.
          However, when in a ‘law enforcement’s hands’ it is now referred to as a more benign “AR-15 rifle”. Hmmmm….
          I ask that STGEORGENEWS modify this article to use the common ASSOCIATED PRESS term of “AR-15 ASSAULT rifle”.
          It’s only fair.

      • Free Parking April 10, 2015 at 1:24 pm

        Scum bag

    • Chris April 9, 2015 at 1:02 pm

      “gentile” What are you trying to say? I am pretty sure you don’t really mean gentile, as in not Jewish (or peculiar to Utah, not Mormon).

      • Mike April 9, 2015 at 5:42 pm

        Gee sorry Chris. Of course I meant to type “gentle.” I guess everyone else figured out what I meant.

  • fun bag April 7, 2015 at 6:29 pm

    I almost feel bad the cop didn’t put a few bullets in him. sounds like a real dirt bag…

    • Transplant86 April 7, 2015 at 10:35 pm

      His having PTSD and alcoholism do not classify him as a dirt bag, Fun Bag.They aren’t excuses for bad behavior but insight to the bigger picture. Your comment was down right ignorant.

      • ladybugavenger April 8, 2015 at 8:59 am

        Sure sounds like excuses. Lets see ptsd and acoholism= violence. Ptsd and rifles= dangerous.. Ptsd and alcoholism and rifles=dangerous and violent…So good for police to not shoot him with a revolver. With all these cop.shootings going on, the police here seem very well trained in using less than lethal means, even when the guy was out of control and had rifles.

      • fun bag April 8, 2015 at 3:38 pm

        would’ve been one less dirt bag out stealing guns and threatening police. We don’t need ur insights.

        • triston_myers April 8, 2015 at 11:26 pm

          Hey fun bag he didn’t threaten police read the story he didn’t approach them or anything and doesn’t even mean he was reaching for a rifle it could have been just percausons

      • ladybugavenger April 8, 2015 at 3:49 pm

        A person who has PTSD and alcoholism should not be allowed to carry firearms! Don’t you think???

        • fun bag April 8, 2015 at 5:56 pm

          PTSD, alcoholic, convicted felon, wife beater, stolen guns, etc etc. A real gem that guy must be…

          • triston_myers April 8, 2015 at 11:21 pm

            How do you know he beat his wife didn’t day anything he being injuried

      • Simone April 8, 2015 at 9:05 pm

        You see? This is why we need gun control. Keep people like this from owning guns as much as we can. Hes lucky the officer was cool under fire.

        • anyonemouse April 10, 2015 at 9:28 pm

          “Gun Control” will only work for those who voluntarily comply, which won’t be the criminals with malicious intentions. http://www.viralnova.com/prison-weapons/

          • ladybugavenger April 12, 2015 at 11:01 am

            PTSD should qualify for a no weapons and a charge of having a firearm while under the influence of ptsd. I understand a person can get a gun anywhere so there’s no such thing as “gun control”. I wonder if a doctor diagnosed him? Or was it just friends and family that diagnosed him? You know family and friends do that.

    • howboutthat April 8, 2015 at 8:57 am

      Your comment was down right ignorant FUN BAG!!! You don’t know him, or the whole story.. To say they should have shot him… Who are you to judge? And does that make you any better than the person you’re saying that about? We’ve all done things that we regret.. Some worse than others… Look in the mirror and clean your own closet before judging others

      • fun bag April 8, 2015 at 3:39 pm

        u must be the momma

        • howboutthat April 8, 2015 at 4:59 pm

          Nope..I’m not.. I just know there is more to this sorry and one again the media distorts the story for the entertainment of small minded people..

          • Free Parking April 9, 2015 at 8:56 am

            Uh that should be… Once again the media…..

        • Free Parking April 8, 2015 at 7:25 pm

          LOL.. this is funny. fun bag just made another friend.

    • triston_myers April 8, 2015 at 11:17 pm

      U know what fun bag u sound like a real dirt bag wishing death upon people you don’t even know people like you are messed up so jugemental that person has a family how would you like if when you were a kid if the police killed your dad I hope the worst for you go …
      Ed. ellipsis.

      • Free Parking April 9, 2015 at 8:57 am

        Ha ha you got edited…. na na na na na na na. LOL

      • fun bag April 9, 2015 at 6:30 pm

        LOL, didn’t say death. But maybe takin’ a few bullets might teach the boy a lesson, do him some good. I’m guessin’ that boy is ur daddy? Well, daddy is goin’ to prison soon. Or should I say, back to prison…

  • Mean Momma April 7, 2015 at 6:36 pm

    Wow…. That could have gone really bad! Good job SGPD!

  • ladybugavenger April 7, 2015 at 6:59 pm

    50,000 volts of electricity going through your veins….remain calm.

  • SteveSGU April 7, 2015 at 10:16 pm

    Keep this guy in jail away from the good people of Utah’s Dixie! We’ve got to find ways to keep felons from getting their hands on weapons.

  • Free Parking April 7, 2015 at 10:38 pm

    50.000 VOLTS..? oh heck with that kind of voltage I could of tazed the guy jump start my car and warmed up my leftover pizza

  • sagemoon April 8, 2015 at 8:27 am

    Scum bag.

  • Roy J April 8, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    Just wondering if the officer actually “slung his rifle” or “holstered his sidearm”.

  • Free Parking April 8, 2015 at 7:22 pm

    Scum bag

    • triston_myers April 8, 2015 at 11:22 pm

      U don’t know him or the whole story

  • beentheredonethat April 8, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    PTSD? Where did it say anything about that?

    • ladybugavenger April 8, 2015 at 9:57 pm

      Family diagnosed him?

  • triston_myers April 8, 2015 at 11:14 pm

    Well they know he has ptsd because we know him

    • ladybugavenger April 9, 2015 at 5:24 pm

      Shouldn’t have rifles or alcohol then…just sayin’

  • Free Parking April 9, 2015 at 3:56 am

    Postal Transport Saturday Delivery is not a sickness

  • beentheredonethat April 9, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    PTSD….Please try something different.

  • fun bag April 9, 2015 at 3:36 pm

    scum bag, scum bag, scum bag. another gun totin’ scum bag felon gonna get locked away. let’s all cry for the poor scum bag felon. LOL, grow up people…

  • Free Parking April 9, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    Ha ha ha scum bag scum bag scum bag wooooohoooooooo poor scum bag. LOL.!

  • A.Judd27 April 10, 2015 at 9:34 am

    St. George News everyone ^^^

    • Free Parking April 10, 2015 at 1:23 pm

      Duhhhhh New York Times idiot

  • fun bag April 10, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    scum bag … 🙂

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