Police Claim A Black Man Shot Himself And The Family Says It’s A Lie
Police shootings involving Black men and police seem like an everyday headline, and not even all of them make it to social media or become a trending topic. Darren Williams’ case is one that hasn’t gotten the coverage it should. On June 28, the 34-year-old from Chester, Pennsylvania, which is right outside of Philadelphia, was reportedly shot by police at around 10:40 a.m.
Cops claim Williams grabbed an officer’s gun and shot himself in the parking lot of a courthouse. District Attorney Kat Copeland says Williams was arraigned and then following the hearing, an officer and a constable returned to Williams’ cell, to get him. According to Copelend, he allegedly shoved the door open and pushed past the officers.
While in the parking lot, Williams was accused of swinging at an officer and pushed him to the ground. The D.A. claims Williams was subsequently tased with no effect and he tried to grab the officer’s gun.
During the struggle, police say Williams accidentally shot himself in the stomach and the constable shot him twice in the back. Williams passed away at the scene.
One eyewitness refutes the police’s account of the tragic incident and claims Williams was restrained when he was shot. “The officers, when they ran up to him, the white officer was closed-fist punching the Black guy,” Amanda Norton, who was at the scene, told CBS Philadelphia.
“They finally restrained him to the ground, tased him twice with the stun gun. They had him on his stomach side and they said that the gentleman tried to reach for the gun. I saw the whole thing. How could he reach for the gun when he’s restrained and he can’t move? He did not try to reach for the gun and the other sheriff shot him twice in the back. It’s wrong, black lives matter and what happened right now with these cops was uncalled for.”
Darren Williams’ family is also now speaking out and they also claim the police are lying. Linda Williams, Darren’s cousin, called into The Clay Cane Show today (July 12), and says the police are trying to cover up the incident and their alleged actions during it.
“They’re trying to bury the story. It’s horrible… they tased him, they beat him the night before,” she said.
When asked about accusations that Williams attempted to grab the officer’s gun, Linda replied, “That’s a lie. They said that he shot himself in the stomach. That’s one of the bullets that came from the back that came out of his stomach.” Listen to the clip below:
There is reportedly surveillance video of the incident and calls for its release have been made. As of now, the footage remains unreleased to the public.