The City of Raleigh has agreed to pay $975,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by the estate of a man who died after officers deployed a Taser during a 2023 arrest, according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
The case stems from a January 2023 encounter on Rock Quarry Road in southeast Raleigh, where officers used a Taser at least six times on Williams during an arrest, according to court filings. The complaint alleges that Williams told officers he had heart problems and pleaded not to be tased again before he stopped breathing. He was later handcuffed and pronounced dead at a hospital.
The estate filed suit in March 2024, seeking $25 million in damages under federal civil rights law.
The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing conducted energy weapon use as a contributing factor. Prosecutors in Wake County later declined to file criminal charges against the five officers involved.
The case adds to broader scrutiny of Taser-related deaths in law enforcement encounters. An analysis found at least 27 such deaths in North Carolina between 2001 and 2018. Nationally, more than 1,081 people died following police Taser use in the United States over the same period, according to reporting compiled by Reuters and the Grand Canyon Times.
The analysis found that roughly 90% of those who died were unarmed at the time. Amnesty International has called for greater restrictions on the use of conducted energy weapons by law enforcement.
The City of Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County. The Raleigh Police Department is a full-service agency with more than 700 sworn officers serving the city.
