by A North Carolina police department released arrest body camera footage of a black man who later died in the hospital.
Darryl Tyree Williams, 32, died on Jan. 17 after an encounter with the Raleigh Police Department. Williams, who told officers about his heart problems during the arrest, was repeatedly electrocuted before losing consciousness.
Williams was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle when officers conducting a proactive patrol at 808 Rock Quarry Road approached him at 1:55 am, according to an incident report obtained by the Associated Press. The report states that officers noticed an open container of alcohol and marijuana in the car and asked the occupants to get out.
A police officer decided to arrest Williams after finding a dollar bill folded with a “white powdery substance consistent with the appearance of cocaine” during a strip search. Bodycam video released on Friday shows Williams telling officers about her heart problems and asking, “Why are you guys doing this to me?”
Police said Williams was stunned three times when officers tried to arrest him and he resisted. He was taken to a hospital and died just an hour after arrest.
In the footage, a police officer is heard saying, “Relax man, relax. Relax” as Williams is detained.
The officers then became concerned that he still had a pulse, but they turned him over and said he was breathing. One of the videos starts with Williams already on the ground as the officers kneel over him. He can be heard moaning.
After Williams was handcuffed, he was unresponsive and stopped breathing. Paramedics were called at 2:02 am and again just four minutes later.
Officers at the scene gave Williams CPR until medics arrived. He was pronounced dead at 3am at a nearby hospital.
Police seized two guns, marijuana and “substances suspected of being controlled” inside the car. Six officers involved in the arrest are on administrative leave and an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigations is ongoing.
Williams’ mother, Sonya Williams, said she wanted the officers fired and prosecuted.
“My heart broke, I mean, seeing the way he was treated,” Williams told CBS17. “It wasn’t like he killed anyone, fine, if drugs were involved, give him a ticket or something, but as far as all that tasing goes, that was unnecessary. I am seeking justice for my son.”
