My son, after having a horrific car accident that he survived was released a day later from ICU Trauma in Denton Medical City. A week later while back at college, the University of North Texas, he had a mental crisis and began knocking out lights on January 21, 2020. He stood at the bottom of the stairway, non threatening, at his college apartment confused. He was confronted, attacked, tased, and then immediately shot by Denton Police officers while holding a frying pan and meat clever dangling from one hand because according to Chief Dixon his officers could look in his eyes and tell he was about to do something. He was not an imminent threat or advancing towards officers. However they escalated the entire situation and caused a reaction with over 5000 volts. Even after being disarmed, four well trained officers allowed him to lay there and did not try to detain him. Through this, he was allowed to get up and grab the same light frying pan only to be shot two more times in the chest. No life saving measures administered. He was a 23 year old Criminal Justice Major, a member of N.O.B.L.E ( National Organization of Black Law Enforcement), on the Deans List, never been in trouble, not on drugs or alcohol, a pillar in his community, and respected. All he needed was help, but instead was murdered by what he was about to become. His major crime was being a young black man not given a chance to live.

These type of quick unjustified injustices cannot continue. We’re calling for Justice and change as well as criminal charges against the officers involved. We are requesting The Denton County DA, Paul Johnson, to file criminal charges due to us forcing the release of the bodycam video revealing the truth of what really happened and not the first fabricated story or narrated version told by Denton Police Chief Dixon, stating his officers did an admirable job in their process of killing our son. We need help, change, and justice! We demand an independent special prosecutor investigate the murder of Darius Tarver, that the Department of Justice investigate this case, and that all four Denton PD officers involved are fired and charged with Darius’s murder.

#wearetiredofdying

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere.”

MLK