A Racine police detective and the man he helped arrest have now become friends after an interrogation room connection.
The paths of 37-year-old Chad Stillman, a detective, and 44-year-old Byron Cowan crossed out of anger but their journey ends in peace. It's a story about two men. One is a man of the law. The other broke the law.
Stillman and Cowan of Racine have a lot in common. Both work hard to strengthen their bodies. But they work even harder to strengthen their minds. Both know the power of words. How they can hurt and how they can heal.
Last summer Cowan became so angry, he posted serious threats against police on Facebook. One of the postings called for "Black men across America to arm themselves, and for every white officer to kiss their loved ones goodbye."
Cowan's rage was sparked by a video of a police shooting in Minnesota.
"The emotion just went all through me," Cowan said.
Cowan said he was trying to get people's attention not to hurt anyone. He wanted to make a statement to the bad officers.
But he quickly knew he made a mistake.
"The realization I came to was that you can't bully the bully, and what I became was the bully myself," Cowan said.
When Stillman interrogated Cowan he did not know what to expect.
"I looked him dead in his eyes and told him I do not know what it's like to be a black man in America. I don't, help me undersigned. Then he looked back at me and said I don't know what it's like to be a police officer," Stillman said.
Cowan was arrested July 7, the same day of the Dallas police massacre where five officers were killed and 10 wounded. Racial tensions were high.
But during interrogation, somehow an epiphany. The two men connected.
"He said I want to pray with you and we prayed together and we started crying,” Cowan said. “It was like this new experience."
"We prayed together,” Stillman said. “I remember walking out of that small little metal room, my eyes are soaking wet, I remember there were 15 deputies standing around because he's under this high alert terror threat. They're like what just happened here, then I just walked out."
"People wanted me to hate him, and people were like don't trust him, don't trust him, f*** the police. I was like no. That's not the message I'm trying to put out here," Cowan said.
"I said for some reason I feel it in my heart. I do not want to hate you right now, I don't want that to happen and he felt the same way," Stillman said.
Stillman invited Cowan to bible study class. It's a group of diverse men, supporting each other and leaning on faith.
"When I put God above myself, it doesn't make life easier but it makes life more joyful, it's a joy I can't find anywhere else," Stillman said.
"I would say as Chad says, we need to love more," Cowan said.
Stillman and Cowan hope their journey can spark a positive narrative between police and the public. And remind people all that with the right words, people of different backgrounds can discover harmony.
"This is our home. This is our city. We don't want that in our city,” Cowan said. “We want our city to be positive. If we can turn this into something positive, then maybe it will spread.”
"I think choosing to love is difficult at times but it's very selfless it's very rewarding it just betters the circumstance," Stillman said.
