Fingerprint Frees Inmate After 6 Years

A man sentenced to 35 years in prison for shooting a police officer was freed Friday after prosecutors learned that a fingerprint used at his trial belonged to someone else.

Prosecutors sought the release of Stephan Cowans hours after test results indicated that a fingerprint taken from the scene of the shooting was not his.

“There was a good-faith, human mistake,” said prosecutor David Meier. Meier told a judge he would not seek a new trial.

Cowans, who was convicted in 1998, was accused of grabbing Sgt. Greg Gallagher’s pistol during a scuffle and shooting the officer in the thigh and the back before fleeing.

Gallagher was wearing a bulletproof vest. He survived and remained on the police force.

A spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney said prosecutors reviewed the case after defense attorneys raised new questions about the evidence.

Authorities plan to investigate how the fingerprint was misidentified.

“After 6 1/2 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, he’s thrilled and looking forward to enjoying his freedom,” said Robert Feldman, one of Cowans’ attorneys.

Cowans, 33, said at a news conference after his release he was “overwhelmed” when he learned that prosecutors had asked that his conviction be vacated.

“I don’t think there’s any words in the dictionary to describe what that’s like,” he said.

He said he looked forward to a “productive life as a productive citizen.”