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.