CNN
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Six police officers in Raleigh, North Carolina, are on leave and an investigation is ongoing after a man died in custody last month, according to a Raleigh police statement and newly released video.
Darryl Tyree Williams, 32, died in the early hours of January 17 after a scuffle with police at a hospital in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Bureau of Investigation was conducting an independent criminal investigation, and after submitting its findings to the Wake County District Attorney, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson addressed Mayor Marchell Adams David just days after Williams’ death. said in a memo.
A Wake County judge Friday approved the release of footage from officers’ body cameras, as well as area surveillance footage and police car dashcam footage related to the incident.
Around 1:55 a.m., officers were conducting an “active patrol” of businesses in an area police said had a criminal record, according to notes and body camera footage.
In the video, officers JT Thomas and CD Robinson are seen pulling into a parking lot before approaching the vehicle and talking to its occupants.
Robinson then drove across the parking lot to another car with two people in it, including Williams, who was in the driver’s seat.
The officer then opened the passenger’s door and asked what the passenger was doing before asking Williams and the passenger to get out of the vehicle.According to the note, Robinson is said to have seen Opened containers of alcohol and marijuana in the car.
In the video, Williams and an unidentified passenger can be heard repeatedly asking Robinson why he was let out of the car.
“What’s wrong?” Williams asked several times as Robinson directed him toward his car and positioned him to search the entire body.
“Keep your hands on the car. If you can’t hear my instructions, I’ll handcuff you,” Robinson says in the video.
At that point, about a minute into the encounter, Robinson had not told Williams why he was being sought.
Moments later, Robinson is seen pulling a folded dollar bill out of Williams’ side pocket, with a video showing him detecting a white powdery substance folded into the bill.
According to the memo, Robinson decided to arrest Williams for possession of a controlled substance based on what was found at the scene.
As Robinson tries to handcuff him, Williams can be heard asking “why” and “what’s going on?” I’m going to They yell at Williams to “get on the ground” while another officer calls for backup.
Robinson deployed a Taser and contacted Williams as he attempted to flee, but other officers continued to yell at him to put his hands behind his back.
Police said another Taser was deployed but was not contacted.
After a physical scuffle, Williams again tried to escape from the officers, but lost his balance and fell while trying to cross the parking lot.
At this point the Taser was deployed again, but police said they did not contact Williams.
A cop can be heard yelling at Williams, “Get in the fucks.” The cop seemed to put his weight on top to him to prevent the man from getting up.
According to police, Robinson and Thomas deployed two separate Tasers in “Drive Stun Mode”, both of which made contact with Williams for approximately 50 seconds.
According to the note, Thomas’ deployed taser made contact with Williams’ flank, and Robinson’s taser on the left side of Williams’ back.
As the video shows, Williams appeared to be in distress both audibly and visually, and officers continued to yell at him to stay on the ground with his hands behind his back.
“Put your hands behind your back or you will be tasted,” said one of the officers.
At this point, Williams can be heard saying he has “heart problems” when he pleads with the cops to stop.
Officers then counted down from 3 before deploying their tasers again.
Williams is then heard screaming and seen wriggling under the officer who was still yelling at him to put his hands behind his back.
At that point, according to police, an “unintended taser actuation” was heard, but no contact was made, so officers handcuffed Williams.
Robinson is heard telling the other officers to stroke Williams as the officers try to put Williams back in the “recovery” position.
Another officer is heard telling Williams to “relax.”
Police then requested an EMS response at 2:02 a.m. as per policy, the memo said.
Moments later, a policeman was heard asking if Williams was “still fine” and “still breathing.”
When another officer tries to wake him up, the officer is heard saying he can’t feel Williams’ pulse.
“He’s breathing,” I heard a policeman say. “He is very nice.”
Officers then removed the taser probe from Williams’ body and asked him again if he was breathing.
Officers detected no pulse and began performing CPR on Williams.
I then made another call to dispatch requesting an urgent EMS response at 2:06 am.
Raleigh Fire Department Responder He then arrived at the scene and took over performing CPR, according to the video.
The video footage ends before the ambulance arrives on the scene.
It’s unclear if police were able to identify the vehicle passengers who were believed to have fled the scene.
“Mr. Williams was taken by EMS to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead at 3:01 a.m. The cause of Mr. Williams’ death, including the results of toxicology, will be part of an ongoing investigation.” right.
Police recovered two guns, marijuana, and a suspected controlled substance from Williams’ car.
Officers Robinson, Thomas, DL Aquino, JR Scott, DL Grande and BL Ramzi are on leave, according to the memo.
In a statement to CNN, Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, the legal advocacy group representing the Williams family, said the family “will demand justice without delay.”
“That’s what his mother wants the world to know: justice for all victims of state-sanctioned violence across the country, not just for Daryl Tyree Williams,” Bragrove said.
“Now is the time for the city of Raleigh, and America at large, to consider the trauma and harm policing causes to Black, Brown, and marginalized communities,” Bragrove told CNN.
CNN reports to the Raleigh Police Department, the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation, and Wake County coroner’s office on Saturday.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with the Williams family,” the Raleigh Police Protection Society, which represents the two officers involved in the incident, said in a statement to CNN. Having reviewed the “tragic incident” video.
“At this time, we have not been able to identify criminal conduct or policy violations by the officers involved. We respect the process and are aware that this incident is currently under investigation by SBI,” said RPPA Vice President Rick. Armstrong stated on Saturday statement.