(NewsNation) — Raleigh, North Carolina, Police released body and dashboard video footage Friday showing the arrest of Darryl Williams, who died after officers repeatedly used stun guns on him.
Williams, 32, died in the Raleigh Police’s custody after officers fired stun guns at him three times on Jan. 17, according to NewsNation local affiliate WNCN.
Officers had been patrolling local businesses at around 1:55 a.m. Police body cameras show officers approaching another car before moving to the one Williams is in. They ask him and a passenger to open the door. The officers then ask both to step out of the car.
Footage from one body camera shows officers telling Williams to place his hands up or behind his back as they attempt to place him in custody. A struggle ensues until another officer tells him to stop or he will get “tased.”
The police report said the Taser was deployed, and temporarily stopped Williams, causing him to fall. Officers were on the ground with Williams near a trash can, video shows. Williams then broke away from the officers, according to the report, but was stopped moments later in the parking lot, according to the video. Officers told Williams to get on the ground and tried arresting him again.
Williams, in the video, can be heard saying, “I got heart problems. Bro, please,” after he was stunned again, WNCN reported.
Once Williams appears to be detained, someone tells him to relax. Officers then become worried about whether Williams still has a pulse, but turn him over and say he’s breathing.
After initially telling dispatchers Williams was conscious, officers later failed to find a pulse.
They did chest compressions to try and resuscitate him until EMS arrived.
An autopsy has been performed on Williams, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said, but a final report from the Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet been provided.
Video provided by the Raleigh Police also included their search of Williams’ car.
The police report says an officer observed an open container of alcohol, as well as marijuana in the car.
According to the report, police tried to arrest Williams after they found a folded dollar bill with white powder in his pocket. During the search, officers also found two guns and what they said was marijuana, according to WNCN.
Six officers who were involved in the arrest were put on administrative leave. A passenger in the car left the scene on foot, the report states.
Williams’ family had no comment on the release of the footage, which they watched Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
Emancipate NC, a criminal justice reform group that has been working with Williams’ family, and other advocates gave a list of demands to the Raleigh City Council this week. WNCN reported that these demands include removing stun guns from the police department, firing officers involved in Williams’ death, prosecuting them, and also requiring implicit bias training for all officers.
“How many times do we have to watch public executions before policing will be held accountable?” Dawn Blagrove with Emancipate NC. “Emancipate NC stands behind the demands presented to Raleigh City Council and expect to see officers held accountable for Darryl Williams’ death.”
Only weeks before Williams’ death, Keenan Anderson died of cardiac arrest after Los Angeles Police officers tased him multiple times. He was identified as a cousin of the co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors.
The Associated Press and NewsNation local affiliate WNCN contributed to this story.
