Crumley Roberts’ attorneys, Karonnie Truzy and David Ventura, along with co-counsel Charles Everage, successfully represented a family from Charlotte, North Carolina, in a wrongful death case for the loss of their son stemming from a TASER® gun injury he endured at the hands of a Charlotte Metropolitan Police Department officer. A federal jury awarded a $500,000 verdict to the parents of La-Reko Williams.
The incident occurred on July 20, 2011, as the victim was walking away from Lynx Woodlawn light rail station after a fight with his girlfriend. An article from The Charlotte Observer states that responding police officers asked the victim to stop and he failed to comply. He was then struck in the chest by electrodes from a TASER gun carrying thousands of volts of electricity.
The victim fell to the ground and was ordered on his back by officers. The officer alleged he failed to comply and was stunned again. This time though, the 21-year-old victim suffered a heart attack and died.
A lawsuit filed by the family alleged that the second jolt from the stun gun was an excessive use of force. The court agreed and a judgment was issued in favor of the victim’s family.
Charlotte litigation attorney, David Ventura, handled the case for the family, and he says the case highlights the importance of officers using discretion while subduing the citizens they’re hired to protect. David and the rest of the legal team at Crumley Roberts are hopeful the decision will help bring closure to the family of the young victim.