FBI Determines There Was No Civil Rights Violation In Lethal Denton Police Taking pictures Of DJ Tarver – CBS Dallas / Fort Price

DENTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon announced Thursday May 27 that the FBI had completed its review of the January 2020 fatal shooting of Darius “DJ” Tarver by Denton police officers.

Chief Dixon said, “The Dallas Division of the FBI, the US District Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, and the Department of Civil Rights of the US Department of Justice have all independently conducted a fact-finding investigation on this case and determined that it was a violation of federal law (Civil rights violations) did not occur. “

The following is the full letter Chief Dixon shared with the community:

In accordance with the highest level of openness and transparency, I asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to review the officer’s shooting of Darius Tarver. Without hesitation, the Dallas FBI department agreed and began their investigation. The Dallas Division of the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, and the Department of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Justice have all independently conducted a factual review of the case and determined that a violation of federal law (Civil Rights) violations) did not occur.

I deeply appreciate the FBI, the US Attorney General, and the Department of Justice for independently and thoroughly investigating this case. I also want to thank the community for their patience during this process. The decision of the FBI and DOJ in no way minimizes the tragic loss of life, but rather urges and compels us to work more closely with our community to protect our city in a just, inclusive and just way.

Darius Tarver (Image credit: family photo)

DJ’s father, Kevin Tarver, had questioned officers’ actions since seeing the first video with a police camera.

It showed how police confronted the 23-year-old, who was reportedly acting erratically, screaming in the wind tunnel of his apartment complex and breaking lights.

Police say he held a cleaver and refused their orders before being verbally abused and fatally shot.

Tarver has long argued that his son should have been treated as someone who was mentally ill rather than a criminal.

“They didn’t practice de-escalation, they didn’t practice any kind of training. They didn’t show any kind of training, ”said Kevin Tarver. “Their standards are about killing people with mental illness.”

Tarver asks why one of the officers involved has left the department without explanation.