Raleigh tasing death: A timeline of what happened to Darryl Williams in police custody
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Death of Darryl “Tyree” Williams
Ongoing coverage from The News & Observer on the tasing and death of 32-year-old Darryl Williams in Raleigh police custody on Jan. 17, 2023.
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It has been just over a month since Darryl “Tyree” Williams died after being tased by Raleigh police officers trying to arrest him for alleged drug possession.
Since then, the Raleigh Police Department has released a report on what it says transpired on Rock Quarry Road on Jan. 17, along with video footage from the six officers who responded to the scene.
Over the course of five minutes, starting at 1:55 a.m., police attempted to arrest Williams, struggled with him and then tased him three times. At 3 a.m., the 32-year-old Raleigh man was pronounced dead at the hospital.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, lawyer Ben Crump will hold a press conference to call for the officers to be fired and charged with manslaughter.
Here is what happened Jan. 17 and afterward, according to News & Observer reporting, the city’s 5-day after-action report and video footage.
Officers approach car with Darryl Williams
At 1:55 a.m. 1st Class Officer C.D. Robinson and Officer J.T. Thomas are conducting “proactive patrols” of businesses in the 800 block of Rock Quarry Road in southeast Raleigh. They stop in the parking lot of a small shopping center that houses Supreme Sweepstakes. Robinson calls for additional officers to assist with patrols.
▪ Robinson approaches two people in a car. Williams is sitting in the driver’s seat with an unidentified passenger.
▪ The passenger opens the door to the car, and Robinson sees an open container of alcohol and marijuana in the car, according to the city’s report. Williams and the passenger are asked to exit.
▪ Videos show Williams getting out of the car as an officer asks him multiple times to sit on a curb. Williams and the passenger repeatedly ask officers why they are being stopped.
▪ Williams is asked to place his hand on top of the passenger side of the car. He complies, and an officers searches Williams’ pockets. Videos show Robinson finding and removing a folded dollar bill from Williams’ pants pocket containing what police have described as “a white powdery substance consistent with the appearance of cocaine.” He decides to arrest Williams.
Officers try to arrest Williams
Police say Williams resists arrest when asked to place his hands behind his back and becomes “combative.”
▪ In video footage, Robinson reaches for Williams’ right wrist. Williams moves his arms away and repeatedly says, “No. What’s going on?”
▪ Three other officers (Thomas, D.L. Aquino and J.R. Scott) join Robinson in attempting to handcuff Williams, the city’s report says.
▪ Williams pulls away from the officers, who warn him “Stop or you are going to get tased.” Police say Williams continues to resist “by pushing them and refusing to place his hands behind his back.”
When Williams is tased
▪ Robinson deploys his taser, stopping Williams and causing him to fall to the ground. Williams cries “No!” as he is tased, video footage shows.
▪ Videos show Williams breaking away to run. Thomas deploys his taser but misses contact with Williams. The passenger in Williams’ car leaves the scene.
▪ Williams stumbles and cries “No!” as officers bring him to the ground. They repeatedly shout at him to put his hands behind his back. Williams is face down, elbows to the ground with officers physically restraining him. In videos, two officers are seen on top of Williams, with tasers drawn.
“We’re not doing nothing,” Williams tells the officers.
Officers continue to struggle with him to “gain control over his hands to place them in handcuffs,” the city’s report says.
▪ There are two Taser deployments over 50 seconds in the “drive stun mode,” which means the Taser is touching the body.
▪ Thomas makes contact with Williams’ side. Williams cries out and pleads with the officers, video shows.
“I have heart problems. Please ... please. Please!,” Williams can be heard saying on video.
“Three, two, one,” an officer says simultaneously, according to the video.
▪ Robinson tases Williams a third time, making contact with the left side of Williams’ back. Williams moans and screams in pain and then falls silent, video shows.
▪ At 2 a.m., officers put Williams in handcuffs and reposition him on his side, the city says.
The medical response after the tasing
▪ At 2:02 a.m., EMS and Raleigh Fire are called and dispatched. Officers give CPR to Williams after assessing that he isn’t breathing.
▪ At 2:06 a.m., another call is made to EMS asking them to expedite their response.
▪ Raleigh Fire arrives to take over CPR. EMS arrives and takes Williams to the hospital.
▪ At 3:01 a.m., Williams is pronounced dead at the hospital.
What happened after Williams’ death
Williams’ vehicle is searched, and officers find two firearms, marijuana and another drug.
The six officers are placed on paid administrative leave as the death is investigated by police and the State Bureau of Investigation, which is standard procedure.
On Jan. 17, family and friends hold a vigil for Williams at the site of the incident.
On Jan. 23, Police Chief Estella Patterson releases an after-action report detailing the events of Jan. 17.
On Jan. 24, activists hold a news conference, accusing the Police Department of “racial profiling” and issuing a list of demands that includes firing the officers and charging them with murder.
On Feb. 7, the Raleigh City Council agrees to review community advocates’ demands for greater police reform and accountability.
On Feb. 10, the city of Raleigh releases video footage from the six officers involved in the incident after a Wake Superior Court judge approved its release on Feb. 8. Nearby surveillance footage also is released.
On Feb. 15, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman says the state’s investigation is still ongoing, and an autopsy report has not been completed yet. Freeman will eventually decide whether the officers acted lawfully.
On Feb. 16, Crump, a civil rights and personal injury attorney who has represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and Williams’ family hold a press conference to call for the officers who tased Williams to be fired and charged with manslaughter.
Anna Johnson and Martha Quillin contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 8:16 AM.
