North Carolina
North Carolina prosecutor won’t charge officers involved in death of man during arrest
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A local prosecutor revealed Wednesday that she won’t seek charges against officers in North Carolina’s capital city who repeatedly used stun guns on a man who subsequently died, saying evidence reviewed fails to show the use of force was unreasonable.
Several Raleigh police officers were placed on administrative leave following the Jan. 17 death of 32-year-old Darryl Tyree Williams. They were trying to arrest Williams around 2 a.m. for possession of a controlled substance in a parking lot where a sweepstakes parlor and several closed business were located.
The State Bureau of Investigation looked into what happened and forwarded its findings to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. In her summary report, Freeman determined “it has been concluded that the officers’ actions were not a violation of the law.”
“In a criminal prosecution of a law enforcement officer for a use of force, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the use of force was not reasonable under the circumstances,” Freeman said, adding that she asked for the case to be closed because “the totality of the circumstances in this matter makes a prosecution unsustainable.”
Freeman also received Williams’ autopsy report made public two weeks ago by the state medical examiner’s office. While the autopsy report declared Williams’ death a homicide, his cause of death was listed as “sudden cardiac arrest” related to cocaine intoxication and the police confrontation. Williams’ family urged officials to fire officers and charge them in his death.
Raleigh police spokespeople didn’t immediately respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment on Freeman’s decision and the status of the officers who were placed on leave.
Police have said they were trying to arrest Williams after they found a folded dollar bill with white powder in his pocket. Freeman’s report said officers initially detained Williams after noticing a bag of marijuana in the front seat of a vehicle that he and another passenger had voluntary agreed to exit.
Police said officers stunned Williams with a Taser three times as they tried to take him into custody and he tried to flee.
Williams, a Black man, can be heard in body and dashboard camera videos released by police in February protesting that he didn’t do anything and warning that he had a heart problem before what Freeman’s report said was the final time he was stunned.
The DA’s report said the two officers who deployed the Tasers told the SBI in an interview that they didn’t hear Williams’ comments about a heart condition.
“There is no way to substantiate whether they did in fact hear Mr. Williams,” the report said, but “this point alone is not outcome determinative in the legal analysis.”
Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, a criminal justice reform group assisting Williams’ family, called Freeman’s decision not to prosecute “disgraceful. She has once again failed to protect the Black people of Wake County by rubberstamping the murder of an unarmed man by Raleigh Police Department.”
Freeman’s report listed over a dozen other factors that contributed to her decision not to prosecute, including that a Taser deployment isn’t considered a deadly use of force. Williams repeatedly failed to follow law enforcement commands, officers were unable to complete a thorough search of him — leading to fears he was armed — and he had a substantial size advantage over the officers, the report said. Williams was also on probation at the time of his death for a drug-related felony and that may have related to his decision to resist and flee officers, the report said.
The DA also cited the autopsy finding of multiple contributing circumstances to his death, including an enlarged heart, significant physical exertion and being subjected to a Taser.
I woke up in the shelter around 6 am but took some time getting out of my bed. I slept pretty badly last night and it felt like I had been awake half the night. Baby Feet told us that at some point last night he startled a mouse getting into Islan’s stuff and it ran right behind my pad to the corner by Honey and Moonie. As long as stuff like that happens when I’m asleep, I don’t care, it doesn’t exist to me! If I was awake I don’t know if I’d be able to fall back asleep.
I had a pretty ambitious plan for today to cross the border into North Carolina and do my first 15 mile day. The weather seemed like it would be pretty bad so I wasn’t sure if I could do it. As usual, everyone left the shelter before me. I was ready to go at 8:30, but I decided to stop at the privy last minute since it was pouring. Digging a cathole in the pouring rain didn’t seem like a fun idea. The rain continued in earnest and I moved as fast as I could. The side trail to get back to the AT was quite long and all uphill, and the rain made it a bit harder to navigate.
Once back on trail, I met a section hiker who told me the rest of the guys were just a little further down. There was a gradual climb to start with but it didn’t feel too hard and I kept a decent pace in the rain. Halfway up the climb I ran into Arwen who was heading south on another slack pack to try to finish out the section. We chatted for a minute but quickly got going again as the rain picked up.
Once the trail switched to downhill it was rocky and muddy, but I moved as fast as I could, paying attention to my footing and slowing down in sketchier sections. I passed Tortuga and John, then caught up with Islan. I could see Baby Feet ahead, but he kept his pace up. Islan and I talked about what his presidential ticket would be.
We got to dicks creek and Bill from the green dragon hostel was there to pick up all the guys. I was pleased to see it was only 10:30, which means I had made great time in the rain. I told Bill I was thinking of crossing the border and he was encouraging. Islan also decided to continue on, and I decided to evaluate once I got to the next shelter that was 5 miles away. We got moving again at 11. Islan and I started off hiking together, but I pulled ahead eventually as the rain spurred me to move faster. The trail turned into a stream and there was no point in trying to avoid it.
I ran into three section hikers who said there were some women ahead on trail. I saw Bullseye who was slackpacking south. I finally made it to the shelter at 1:30 ish and saw Mariel, Anna, who I camped with the first night at Springer mountain, and an older hiker I hadn’t met yet named Fire Marshal. I tried to eat quickly and was still deciding what to do, but something inside me just really wanted to continue on. It was early enough and I knew I could do this challenge.
Islan showed up and decided to stay in the shelter so I was on my own. It was too cold to sit for long in wet clothes so I knew I needed to move quickly. I got water, and Fire Marshal offered to filter it for me. I ended up leaving later than I wanted to close to 3 pm and had to climb the .3 side trail back to AT.
As I left the rain started to slow down and then completely stopped and I felt good about my decision. About two miles away I saw my first bear! It was bit bigger than a cub but seemed too small to be full grown. He saw me before I saw him, and was scrambling so hard to get out of the tree he was in that he fell a few feet, and then bolted off into the woods. It all happened so fast that I couldn’t even get a picture. It was a cool experience and felt like another sign that I should be doing this. I clicked my poles and sang loudly for the next few minutes in case any other bears were hanging around.
A few minutes later I crossed through my first burn area on the AT. I’m not sure if it was a wildfire or prescribed burn, but it smelled recent. I continued along through the burn for a while before crossing back into a denser forest.
It was hard to capture the burn area
Before I knew it I was at the border crossing! It was an exciting moment and felt pretty cool that I walked for 8 days to enter North Carolina for the first time. All the states until Maryland will be new for me. After the border crossing there were a few cool waterfalls and streams before a gradual climb began.
Never been so excited to see a sign!
The clouds cleared up a bit and revealed some blue skies and sun, which felt like another sign that this push was right for me. As I continued along I heard a loud squawk which startled me. After a second I realized that a grouse was right along the trail and it wasn’t happy to see me. It flew a little further up and was very dramatic when I continued up the trail towards it.
The sun peeking through the trees as I entered NC
Once the trees switched over to denser rhododendrons and mountain Laurel I knew I was closer to the top, and made it to the peak shortly after. I started descending, feeling like I was moving at a good pace but didn’t check. At 6:45 I knew I was close but felt extremely tired and hungry. My first instinct is always to just try to push on and not want to take breaks, but there was no point in forcing myself to continue if I would be dragging the entire time. I sat down right on trail and rested for a few minutes. My entire body was buzzing and I felt extremely weak. I drank some water and ate a bunch of nuts and other snacks and felt much better. I got going again and was able to move quickly with a new energy. It’s amazing what a difference just taking care of your body makes. Finally, about 40 minutes later I made it to the shelter and felt really accomplished. It feels really good to set a challenging goal and meet it. The trail miles were only 15.4 miles but with all the .3 mile side trails to and from the shelters today my total mileage was 16, which is the longest I’ve ever hiked in a day.
An exciting patch of blue skies
I had the shelter to myself and I took my time collecting water and making some ramen for dinner. When I was still getting my stuff organized before bed, I saw a little mouse dart out from the side of the shelter towards the picnic table. It ran for cover as soon as it saw my light. I made sure to put any and all attractants super far from myself so the mice would have no reason to come near me, and then cozied up in my quilt to the sound of the rain falling outside the shelter.
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek’s ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!
To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.
More than 100 dogs were rescued from an apparent puppy mill in North Carolina where they were kept in “egregious conditions”, an animal shelter said.
The SPCA of Wake county on Wednesday removed 101 dogs from a home that appeared to have been functioning as a puppy mill. In a statement online, the shelter said that the dogs had been “surrounded by their own waste, packed 5 or 6 to a cage and stacked floor to ceiling, or free roaming in cramped quarters and filth”.
The shelter, working alongside Raleigh animal control, also said that there had been numerous mother dogs with very young nursing puppies, adding that 19 of those dogs were now in SPCA Wake’s care.
“These events unfolded very quickly. Within an hour of receiving this call for help, we were on the property ready to take as many pets as possible,” the shelter said.
Pictures posted online showed puppies of various breeds in cages and with matted fur as they were being cared for by shelter employees. Speaking to CBS 17, SPCA Wake spokesperson Samantha Ranlet said that many of the dogs were toy poodle mixes, pomeranians, chihuahuas, yorkies and other small “doodle” mixes.
In a follow-up post on Friday, the shelter said that its medical team had been treating each dog’s individual needs, adding that many of them were suffering from skin and dental issues.
“The matted dirty fur is coming off in heaps,” the shelter said.
Additional pictures posted online showed clumps of matted fur being trimmed from dogs of varying sizes.
“We’re seeing a lot of smiles from these guys. This is the biggest moment in these dogs’ lives, and we are feeling so grateful to be a part of their healing. Thank you to everyone who has donated or reached out in support of these efforts. This rescue is a big undertaking, and we can’t do it without you,” the shelter said.
In addition to the 101 dogs, the homeowner, who police said was “cooperative”, also surrendered 21 chickens.
Speaking to CBS 17, Ranlet said: “The dogs in our care are being medically evaluated and some moved into foster homes … They will be placed up for adoption once they have received veterinary care and recuperated. We need to make sure they are healthy and rehabilitated so they can start fresh as somebody’s family members.”
It remains unclear whether the homeowner will face charges. The Guardian has reached out to the Raleigh police department for comment.
North Carolina
8 now arrested in North Carolina house party shootings and more attempted-murder charges are filed
Florida Panthers’ Nate Schmidt reminding everyone, including himself, what he can do | Habib
Power crews working to restore electricity after weekend storms batter Georgia
Hawaii signs catcher from Stanford, infielder from USF | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Pocatello’s first Neon Fest brings history to light – East Idaho News
Illinois offers four-star OL Reis Russell
-
News1 week agoVideo: Faizan Zaki Wins Spelling Bee
-
News1 week agoVideo: Harvard Commencement Speaker Congratulates and Thanks Graduates
-
Politics1 week agoMichelle Obama facing backlash over claim about women's reproductive health
-
Technology1 week agoAI could consume more power than Bitcoin by the end of 2025
-
Technology1 week agoSEC drops Binance lawsuit in yet another gift to crypto
-
Technology1 week agoOpenAI wants ChatGPT to be a ‘super assistant’ for every part of your life
-
Technology1 week agoWhy do SpaceX rockets keep exploding?
-
World1 week agoTwo killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine before possible talks in Turkiye