RALEIGH, N.C. –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, attorney Dawn Blagrove with Emancipate NC, and attorney Joe Fouche, who represent the family of Darryl Tyree Williams today filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit names the City of Raleigh, the chief of Raleigh Police, and the officers involved in Williams’ death as defendants.
Williams died on Jan. 17, 2023, about an hour after a taser was deployed on him six times by Raleigh Police Department officers. Williams told officers as they were deploying the taser that he had heart problems and pleaded for them to stop. (incident footage) The complaint states that an autopsy classified Williams’ death as a homicide.
“Tasers have proved time and time again to be potentially deadly to people with heart conditions, like Darryl. Tasing someone six times is unreasonable and excessive, especially when they show no threat to officers,” said Crump. “We hope that this lawsuit can bring about some civil accountability since the family failed to see even an ounce of criminal accountability for Darryl’s unnecessary death.”
The complaint describes that the stop that ended in Williams’ death is part of controversial “proactive patrols” done by Raleigh police. Williams was approached by officers, searched, and found to be unarmed, but in possession of what was believed to be a controlled substance, according to the complaint.
Darryl attempted to flee the police, which was when the tasing began – three times while physically restrained and the last while he was handcuffed, nonresponsive, and apparently unconscious, according to the complaint. As described in the complaint, after the first round of tasing, officers put Williams in a prone position, with three officers laying on top of him. Prone positions are proven to be deadly maneuvers, as seen in the death of George Floyd.
“This body camera footage is heartbreaking to watch,” said Blagrove. “These officers neglected to use any deescalation techniques and resorted to tasing Darryl until he fell unconscious, all while he posed no threat to them. This family deserves justice and accountability.”
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
