A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the City of Denton in the shooting death of a University of North Texas student.
Darius Tarver was shot and killed by police in 2020.
Tarver’s family filed the lawsuit against the City, accusing it of improperly training officers, however, a judge ruled against the claim after a grand jury decided not to charge the officer who shot and killed Tarver.
An internal investigation into the incident found that officers did not violate department protocols or training procedures during the deadly encounter.
Tarver’s family disagrees with the recent findings and claims the tragedy highlights flaws in police training, particularly when it comes to identifying people suffering a mental health crisis.
Kevin Tarver, Darius Tarver’s father, stated their fight for police reforms and accountability within the Denton Police Department is far from over.
“We’re going to continue to fight because my son was murdered,” he said. “It wasn’t just a tragedy. He shouldn’t just be a hashtag and there needs to be changes in Denton.”
Denton police were called to Darius Tarver’s apartment complex after neighbors reported he was acting unpredictably.
When officers arrived on the scene, Tarver was holding a frying pan in one hand and a meat cleaver in the other.
Police fired shots at Tarver after the effects of a taser used on him failed to stop him from allegedly charging at officers.
A grand jury and the FBI cleared the officer who shot and killed Tarver of any wrongdoing.
The Dallas Express reached out to the Denton Police Department for comment on the case, however, no one was readily available to discuss the matter.
