The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is now handling the Darrius Stewart case.
Police Director Toney Armstrong and District Attorney Amy Weirich held a joint press conference Monday afternoon over the Darrius Stewart case where they announced TBI’s stepping in.
“The climate we now live in must be taken into account,” Armstrong said, citing the events of Ferguson, Mo., among other places where officers have shot and killed civilians. “We are going to be transparent to get to the bottom of what happened and why it happened.”
Stewart, 19, was pulled over by police for a broken headlight when a background check came up with two outstanding warrants in other states. The officer placed Stewart in the back of his police car with no handcuffs. An altercation then took place between the two before the unnamed officer shot Stewart.
The officer was treated for scratches and bruises, while Stewart later died in the hospital.
“Under my statutory authority in the law of the state of Tennessee, I have asked [TBI] to conduct an investigation into the death of Darrius Stewart,” Weirich said.
