Body cam video of Darryl Williams' arrest, death to be released Friday
The video of a man's chase and arrest by Raleigh police outside a sweepstakes parlor in January is expected to be made public on Friday.
A judge ruled on Wednesday that the Raleigh Police Department can release body cam footage of the arrest of Darryl Williams, 32, who was shocked three times with a Taser and later died.
The police department's five-day report on Williams' death says he can be heard on body camera footage yelling that he had a heart condition.
His family will have a chance to view any video before it is made available to the public, the judge said. The faces of people who were not involved in the incident will be blurred on the video.
According to a police report, officers were patrolling the businesses in a shopping center on Rock Quarry Road on Jan. 17 when they saw Williams sitting in a car outside a sweepstakes parlor. They suspected he had alcohol and marijuana in the car and asked to search it. Inside Williams' car, officers found drugs and two guns, one of which had been reported stolen.
When officers tried to arrest Williams, he "became combative and resistant," according to the report.
The report states officers warned Williams, "Stop or you are going to get tased," but Williams "continued to actively resist the officers by pushing them and refusing to place his hands behind his back."
Officer C.D. Robinson used his Taser on Williams, who fell to the ground. After the first stun, Williams can be heard on body worn camera saying, “I have heart problems.” Williams was able to get up and run a short distance across the parking lot, the report says.
Williams fell to the ground, where officers struggled with him, attempting to handcuff him. While Williams fought, officers used the Taser twice more in in stun mode, according to the report. The officers used the Taser on Williams' side and on his back. No shots were fired.
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said six officers were involved in the incident.
"I will tell you anytime there is a loss of life its taken very seriously by the department," Patterson said. "We will ensure a full investigation will happen."
At a City Council meeting on Tuesday, Raleigh City Manager Marchell Adams-David encouraged the public release of the video.
"As much as we want our officers to return home safely, we want every resident to return home safely," Adams-David said.
The city police review board is using the video in its investigation into the encounter.
Attorney Lee Turner said he expects the video will show chaos amid a fast-moving situation.
"It will probably show the initial approach to Mr. Williams in that parking lot, as they're doing the pro-active patrol, and then you'll get to see that interaction. And then I think, at that point in time, that's when you're going to see it turn into just chaos," Turner said.
Several community activists have spoken out against the handling of the arrest.
The SBI is investigating the encounter between Williams and police, standard protocol when someone dies in police custody.
