Man collapsed, died after fight

Frank Carver Jr. of Durham was talking with police after the affray when he fell ill

DURHAM -- Frank Carver Jr., 55, died outside the pool hall named in honor of his grandchildren, a place where he was known by all.

Adding to the heartbreak for his family is that he met his end in the back of a police car after getting into a fight with a long-time friend, said Nicole Messer, 22, Carver's granddaughter.

Messer said her grandfather had diabetes and heart problems, and had undergone quadruple bypass surgery in January 2007.

Durham police are awaiting autopsy results to determine how Carver fell fatally ill while in their custody outside PK's Billiards and Sports Bar at 105 Infinity Road in North Durham. PK stands for Papa's Kids, and Messer owns and operates it.

"I owned it, but the people we had down there were there for him," she said Monday. "My grandfather had a lot of support from his friends who came down and supported the place."

Carver of Independence Avenue slumped over while in the back of a patrol car. He was being detained after officers arrived to find him holding a gun and arguing with another man outside the bar.

The man was John Jason Johnson, 38, of Wake Forest Highway, Durham, who Messer said was a longtime family friend.

But Messer said things had soured since one of Messer's friends, a former girlfriend of Johnson's, took out a restraining order against him after they split.

Messer said Johnson arrived at the bar very drunk late Friday night. Efforts to reach Johnson on Monday were unsuccessful.

Carver was called from home to try to get Johnson to leave, Messer said. When Carver confronted Johnson, Johnson slapped him in the face, knocking Carver's glasses to the ground, according to both Messer and the police.

Messer added that Johnson broke a beer bottle over Carver's head. That prompted Carver to pull his gun and fire shots into the air, both Messer and police said.

Carver gave his gun to police once they arrived. He stopped breathing in the back of the police car while being questioned.

He was removed from the car and given CPR, police said, but was pronounced dead at Durham Regional Hospital at 1:05 a.m. Saturday.

Messer said she suspects the strain of getting into a fight with a man Carver cared about might have been too much.

"I really don't know, but I believe that high stress levels definitely could have contributed to what happened," Messer said.

Johnson was charged with assault.

Carver leaves behind his wife, Sylvia; a daughter, two stepchildren, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Carver had retired after running his own painting company for 30 years.

Messer, who with her three children lived with Carver, said her 2-year-old loved to crawl into bed with her Papa.

When she knocked on his bedroom door over the weekend, looking for him, Messer said, "That's when it really hit; Papa ain't here no more."

(News researchers Denise Jones and Lamara Williams contributed to this report.)