Mobile
- Jasiatic
-
GRIEVING: Tammy Fontenot, whose son Darryl Turner was Tasered by police in March, awaits answers.
Few answers are evident in the death of a teenager Tasered by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer:
A full autopsy may not be publicly released until August, the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's office said last week.
And an attorney hired by the family of 17-year-old Darryl Wayne Turner said his inquiry, separate from an ongoing CMPD investigation, is nearing its final stages.
"Sometime in the near future, we will conclude our fact gathering, then sit down with the family for our next steps," Charlotte attorney Ken Harris said.
Turner died March 20 after police responded to a disturbance call from the Food Lion on Prosperity Church Road where the teenager worked.
According to police, "Turner [was] assaulting the store manager by throwing an object at him" and "appeared to be in a highly agitated state. He refused all verbal commands and advanced towards the officer." Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. then used his Taser.
Turner was taken to Carolinas Medical Center-University, where he was pronounced dead. Dawson was put on leave.
Harris would not comment last week on what his investigation has found, -- or if CMPD has cooperated with his inquiry. To date, Turner's family hasn't filed a lawsuit against the city or police department.
Julie Hill, a CMPD spokeswoman, says the department's investigation is ongoing and is waiting for the medical examiner's report.
No determination has been made on whether Dawson followed departmental policy when he used the Taser, Hill said.
"Again, what we do is wait for all of the information to be available and then we are in a position, once we have all of the information, we're in a position to make a final determination," says Hill.
Since Turner's death, CMPD officers have been involved in two shootings.
Last week, Officer Jenny Curlee shot Brian Jarod Howie. According to police reports, Howie didn't follow commands to remove the key from his vehicle's ignition, and when he reached to his right side near the console area, Curlee pulled her pistol. Police say drugs, but no weapons, were found in the vehicle. Curlee has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by CMPD homicide detectives and Internal Affairs.
On April 21, Officers Rodney Jackson and Lucas Rahal were involved in a shooting on Statesville Road. According to police reports, the officers responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle in the driveway of a residence and found Jason Chappell sitting in the car. Officers told him to place his knife in the passenger seat, which he did. But when Jackson went to retrieve the knife, Chappell placed the car in reverse, trapping Jackson between the door and the car. When Chappell didn't stop the car, Jackson fired his service pistol once, striking Chappell.
Both Jackson and Rahal had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Hill said that investigation is also ongoing.
Latest in News Feature
-
Bank of America Joins Chloe Capital to Invest in Women
Jul 13, 2022 -
Open Letter To Jordan Peterson
Jan 26, 2022 -
Turn Your Savings into a Profit Center
Feb 1, 2021 - More »
More by Cheris Hodges
-
Statewide film series set to fight N.C. anti-gay amendment
Dec 15, 2011 -
N.C. governor vetoes repeal of Racial Justice Act
Dec 14, 2011 -
More Democratic in-fighting
Dec 13, 2011 - More »
Calendar
-
Wine & Paint @ Blackfinn Ameripub- Ballantyne
-
Face to Face Foundation Gala @ The Revelry North End
- Fri., April 19, 6-10 p.m.
-
-
An Evening With Phil Rosenthal Of "Somebody Feed Phil" @ Knight Theater
- Fri., April 19, 7 p.m.
-
-
Kountry Wayne: The King Of Hearts Tour @ Ovens Auditorium
- Fri., April 19, 7:30 p.m.
-
-
Queen Charlotte Fair @ Route 29 Pavilion
- Through April 22, 4-11 p.m.
-
-
Canuck in the Queen City 7
A Canadian transplant looks back at her first year as a Charlotte resident
-
Homer's night on the town 41
If you drank a shot with the Knights mascot on Sept. 20, you were basically harboring a fugitive
-
Delic Holdings Inc. Announces Meet DELIC, the Premiere Psychedelic and Wellness Edutainment Event and Expo for Newcomers and Veteran Psychonauts, Announces Initial Speaker Lineup 42
