Pubdate: Tue, 25 Mar 2008
Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2008 The Charlotte Observer
Contact:  http://www.charlotte.com/observer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78
Author: Victoria Cherrie

TEEN WHO DIED AFTER TASER SHOT HAD MARIJUANA

Store Manager Had Asked Him To Leave, But Warrant  Doesn't Say Why

A 17-year-old who died after a police officer shocked  him with a stun
gun last week had marijuana hidden in  his socks. And according to a
search warrant, he'd been  asked to leave the Food Lion where he
worked before  police arrived.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Jerry Dawson Jr.  used his Taser
after police received a disturbance call  about 1:15 p.m. Thursday
from the grocery store on  Prosperity Church Road. Darryl Turner had
worked in the  University City store for about a year as a cashier and
  bagger.

It's unclear why, but the warrant said a customer  service manager had
asked Turner to leave and he  refused.

Last week, Turner's mother, Tammy Fontenot, told the  Observer that
she didn't know of any problems her son  had with drugs or alcohol.

On Monday night she declined to comment about the  search warrant that
said officers found three small  bags of marijuana in one of Turner's
socks. They also  searched his Green Ford Escort to look for drugs or
other impairing substances but seized no items,  according to the document.

"Our focus has continued to be on what the officer was  confronted
with at the scene," said Ken Harris, the  family's attorney. "That
will continue to be the focus  and some of the more recent information
may or may not  be relevant to that."

Family members and co-workers said Turner, who  graduated last year
from a charter high school and  planned to attend college, was a good
student and  reliable employee. His court record consists of three
traffic offenses.

His mother said her son had a temper but was not  violent. She did say
that Turner had come home for  lunch Thursday and told her he had
stolen a couple of  Hot Pockets from the store. He was afraid of
getting in  trouble, she said, but she told him to go back to the
store and admit what he did.

Police received the disturbance call soon after. As  Dawson arrived at
the store, police said, an "agitated"  Turner threw something at a
manager. Turner ignored  Dawson's commands and advanced toward him.
Dawson then  used the Taser to get him under control, police said.

Turner was later pronounced dead at Carolinas Medical
Center-University. His death is the first Taser-related  fatality in
CMPD's history.

Preliminary autopsy results show no obvious cause of  death, the
medical examiner's office said.

Turner will be buried Friday at Crown Memorial Park  after a noon
visitation and 1 p.m. service at Temple  Hurch International, 3201
Tuckaseegee Road.

Police have declined to give details about the  incident. A
spokeswoman said Monday the 911 tape  recording and police radio
transmissions are still  being reviewed.

Dawson, a 15-year veteran, is on administrative leave  pending an
internal investigation, as is routine when  someone dies in police
custody. Homicide detectives  also are investigating the death and
will present their  findings to the district attorney.

Co-workers and friends said they never knew of Turner  being
reprimanded at work. Customers described him as  "mannerly" and "pleasant."

But he had disagreements with the same customer service  manager, who
had asked him to tuck in his shirt, said  Mitch Hecht, 20, an office
assistant at the store. The  customer service manager had complained
about Turner  wearing gold teeth and big earrings, he said.
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