No charges filed against Raleigh officers in death of man tased multiple times in police custody
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman announced that no charges will be filed against the officers involved in the arrest of Darryl Williams, who died while in police custody.
Freeman released a full report explaining why she would not be bringing charges against any of the officers involved.
READ THE FULL EXPLANATION:
She ultimately determined the officers' use of force was warranted and legal. However, she did point out that her determination was strictly based on current criminal laws, noting she had no jurisdiction to determine if police policy was violated or if it should be changed in the future.
Williams died on Jan. 17 at around 3 a.m. It happened during a physical altercation with officers trying to arrest him.
Raleigh Police Department said officers suspected Williams was in possession of illegal drugs. They approached him while he was inside a parked vehicle outside a business on Rock Quarry Road near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump demands charges for officers after Darryl Williams' autopsy released
Officers searched Williams and found a folded-up dollar bill with a white substance on it. When officers tried to take Williams into custody, he ran off.
Officers deployed their stun guns, striking Williams in the back and knocking him to the ground. However, he was able to get back up and take off again. Officers stunned him again and brought him to the ground.
While he was on the ground, five officers restrained him, working together to handcuff Williams while he struggled against them and told them he had a heart condition. During this struggle, the officers restrained Williams for approximately 30 seconds by placing a knee on his left upper back and another on his right upper arm.
During the altercation, Williams slipped into unconsciousness and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In Freeman's report, she found that officers did not hear Williams mention a heart condition.
"Those officers indicate they did not hear Mr. Williams," Freeman said. "What's important is I can't prove that they did or not. At the end of the day, we can't take into consideration they knew or believed him to have a heart condition in making our determination."
The autopsy report listed Williams' cause of death as sudden cardiac arrest in the setting of cocaine intoxication. The manner of death is listed as homicide.
Cocaine intoxication, physical exertion, stun gun usage, and physical restraint are all listed as things that may have contributed to cardiac arrest. In addition, Williams had obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular disease which all are listed as contributory factors in his death.
Last month, Williams' family called on the US Department of Justice to investigate Raleigh Police Department for misconduct.
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said Williams had a heart condition and that he was troubled that officers didn't listen to him. He stated that the Black community's pain often falls on deaf ears.
"I don't know how you don't consider the criminal negligence when a man tells you he has a heart condition. You taze him multiple times. Where is the humanity?" questioned Crump.
WATCH BEN CRUMP'S FULL NEWS CONFERENCE
On Wednesday after Freeman's conclusion was released, Crump spoke at a church to say the fight for justice will continue.
"These DAs continue to come up with justification for White and Black police officers to kill Black and brown people unjustly," Crump said.
Dawn Blagrove of Emancipate NC also spoke.
"Disgusted by the flagrant reminder that DA Lorrin Freeman gave us today that Black lives do not matter," Blagrove said.
Emancipate NC filed a 12-page report to the Department of Justice calling for an investigation into the patterns and practices of the Raleigh Police Department. The report accuses RPD of using excessive force, disregarding policies without consequence, racial profiling and spreading victim-blaming propaganda after officer-involved shootings.
Williams' mother said the fight for justice continues for her son.
As for the officers involved, they remain on administrative leave. There is no timeline for when they will return to work.
