Charlotte Detectives Continue Investigation Into Teen’s Death Being Hit With A Taser

On Friday, homicide detectives went back to the store where a police officer used a Taser to subdue a teenager Thursday afternoon.

Police said they were called to the Food Lion on Prosperity Church Road in north Charlotte on a disturbance call. They said 17-year-old Darryl Turner was reportedly fighting with his manager and even throwing objects at him.

Police said Turner "refused all verbal commands and began walking toward the officer," and that's when the officer used his Taser. The teen was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.

Joe Kuhns, a criminal justice professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is an expert on the use of force in law enforcement. He said such deaths are very rare.

“In situations that call for non-lethal force, it's preferred to pull a Taser than a firearm. In many cases, they can be safer than firearms,” he said.

But some who had seen Turner are questioning the use of force.

“He’s 17 years old, he’s skinny, he’s not a big man. You can’t tell me you are going to (stun) this little boy. He’s not a man, he’s a little boy,” said Ezra Carter, whose son worked alongside Turner at the Food Lion.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said this is the first death associated with a Taser since officers started using them in 2004.

The officer involved, whose name has not been released, is on administrative leave as internal affairs and homicide detectives continue their investigation.

The medical examiner’s office said autopsy results on Turner may not be available for several weeks.

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