The father of Darius Tarver, a man killed by police about a week after surviving a serious car accident, has suspicions about his son’s death, according to a lawyer who is bringing attention to the case.
According to CBSDFW.COM, Tarver was shot and killed by Denton, Texas, police during an early morning confrontation at an apartment complex back on Jan. 21. Tarver was a University of North Texas student and according to the cops, he was approached by responding officers around 3 a.m. at The Forum at Denton Station apartments after residents called 911 about a guy who was banging on doors and yelling for someone to let him in. Occupants also said the man was breaking light fixtures with a frying pan in the breezeway.
Police say Tarver was holding a cleaver and frying pan once they arrived and they claim he ignored commands to drop the items and instead started advancing towards the cops. Police said they tasered Tarver but he was able to rise back up. “Then he charged full-on, at some point stabbing an officer in the shoulder,” Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon said.
A cop then fired his gun multiple times, hitting Tarver at least once. Tarver was taken to the hospital where he passed away. Meanwhile, the officer who was reportedly stabbed was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Despite the police report, Tarver’s father isn’t buying the officers’ full stories, according to lawyer S. Lee Merritt. “Tarver’s father, a McKinney Police Department chaplain was allowed to see the bodycam from the shooting and believes it sharply contradicts official narratives,” explained Merritt in a tweet.
According to WFAA, Tarver survived a terrible car accident just a week earlier when the roads were icy that day, according to family. The accident put him in the ICU and he was released from the hospital the following day. His family shared concerns that Darius might’ve been released too early and the accident might’ve changed him.
“Police were called when Tarver was observed breaking overhead lightbulbs with a skillet,” Merritt continued in his tweet. “This behavior was consistent with the extreme sensitivity to light and difficulty with impulse control resulting from a severe impact to the brain. Police encountered Tarver muttering to himself while carrying a frying pan. Tarver did not immediately comply to commands to drop the pan. Denton PD officers responded by firing a taser that caused Tarver to writhe in pain. When the taser failed to take Tarver to the ground he was instead shot several times by a responding officer.”
Tarver family is set to hold a press conference on Tuesday where Tarver’s father will “describe the body cam and outline false statements given by police in the official narrative,” according to Merritt. Other members of law enforcement, local government, clergy and the UNT student body is also set to speak and condemn the shooting.
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