CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Nearly 200 people attended a vigil Sunday night for a man who died soon after he was shocked by a police taser last week.
Family and friends gathered to remember 21-year-old Lareko Williams. His father said his son wasn't perfect, but didn't deserve to die.
The vigil was held at the light rail station along Old Pineville Road where police say Williams beat a woman late Wednesday night, and an officer deployed his taser while trying to stop Williams.
Late Thursday afternoon, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe announced that officers would immediately turn in their "electronic control devices" so that an investigation could take place regarding the devices.
The fatal incident happened when police received a frantic 911 call around 10:39 p.m. describing a violent scene at the CATS Lynx Blue Line Station along the 4700 block of Old Pineville Road.
"CMPD believes that it is imperative that we immediately verify that all of our ECDs are in proper working order," Monroe said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "To accomplish this goal, all ECDs will be collected from our officers and personally tested and inspected to ensure they are in proper working order."
Monroe said the review of policies, tactics and the actual devices could take 30 to 45 days and that the actual device used Wednesday night would be tested by an independent lab.
Sgt. Todd Walther heads up Charlotte's Fraternal Order of police, and the FOP leadership is standing behind Chief Rodney Monroe's decision to take tasers off the street so they can be tested.
"We have a responsibility to the public so we want to make sure our equipment is working properly," he said. "And that protects the officers that they tasers are working the way they should be and it protects the community as well."
Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon heads up Charlotte Public safety committee, and he expects a full report from CMPD, when the testing is completed.
He said, "we certainly don't want to have devices on the street that are not helping prevent the next crime."
More than 12 hundred tasers will be tested by technicians at the police academy in a process that should take no more than a month.
According to Walther. "The turnaround will be 30 days, which means our academy folks will be working a lot."
In a statement released Thursday morning, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the caller told the 911 operator male was beating and choking a female. The caller also said "the male continued to punch the female while she was on the ground."
Officer Michael Forbes was the first officer who arrived at the light rail platform, and he saw the man on top of the woman.
The CMPD statement said, "Forbes attempted to arrest the suspect, and deployed an Electronic Control Device (TASER X26) in an attempt to gain compliance."
It is not clear where the barbs from the Taser device struck Williams, or for how long he was shocked.
Forbes took Williams into custody, and then noticed he was unresponsive. Forbes immediately called for Medic, police said.
Paramedics arrived at 10:44 p.m., and members of the Charlotte Fire Department arrived at 10:45 p.m.
They immediately began to administer CPR, and continued CPR while transporting Williams to Carolinas Medical Center. He died at 11:40 p.m.
Meanwhile, the female victim was taken to CMPD headquarters to be interviewed. Police said witnesses who saw what happened were also interviewed.
Early Thursday morning, CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe addressed the media at the scene while investigators behind crime tape gathered evidence.
"I couldn't write this, I couldn't explain this," Monroe said. "When I received the initial notification, I had to look at it a couple of times just to make sure I wasn't reading something from the past. But once talking to my command officials, I quickly realized it was something very, very serious."
Ironically, we received news on Wednesday about a verdict reached in a wrongful death lawsuit involving a teen who died after he was shocked by a CMPD officer who deployed a Taser three years ago. The teen's parents were awarded a $10 million settlement from the manufacturer of the Taser device used. Click to read more on this story.
Police, however, continue to defend the use of Taser devices.
"When you measure the effects at preventing very serious injuries to police officers and other citizens, there's still quite a bit of information out there that supports us continuing to use them," Monroe said.
Monroe said the department will take a hard look at their position regarding the Tasers after what happened.
"Will we take another look to determine whether or not it remains feasible to utilize the Taser?" Monroe asked. "We'll make that assessment."
Officer Forbes has been with the CMPD since September 2007, and he is currently assigned to the Westover Division.
Detectives with the Homicide Unit are conducting an investigation into Williams' death, and detectives with the Internal Affairs Unit are conducting a separate investigation to determine if policies and procedures were followed during Williams' arrest.
According to the Mecklenburg County Jail web site, Williams has been in trouble with police on a number of occasions.
Most recently, Williams was arrested June 29, 2011, and charged with Assault on a Female. He was arrested June 6, 2011, for Assault on a Female, Interfering with Emergency Communications, and Damage to Real Property. On March 18, 2011, he was charged with Assault on a Government Official, Disorderly Conduct at Bus/RR Station or Airport, and Resisting Public Arrest. Williams was charged November 11, 2008, with Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Public Official, and Trespassing.
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