FRISCO, Texas — An investigation is underway by the Texas Rangers after a man died weeks after he was tased and hit his head while running away from Frisco officers, police said.
In a news release, Frisco police said the incident in question happened around 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 14. Police said they responded to a report of a man attempting to use fraudulent identification to buy a vehicle at a local dealership in the 9600 block of State Highway 121.
According to police, officers tried to detain the man but he ran away. Police said officers ran after him in the parking lot "and gave verbal commands to stop and warned him he would be tased if he failed to comply."
As the man kept running, police said an officer deployed their Taser but that it was ineffective. A second officer then used their Taser, which caused the man to fall and hit his head on the ground, police said.
Police said the officers put the man in handcuffs and called for an ambulance. He was transported to a hospital, where he died on Sept. 29.
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the man's family, identified him as Genesis Hicks. Crump said Hicks suffered head trauma and was in a coma through the two weeks in the hospital.
Frisco police said the Texas Rangers and the Collin County District Attorney's Office are investigating the incident.
Crump released a statement on the incident as the investigation continues.
"Genesis Hicks was unarmed and running away from the police when he was tased, which ultimately led to his death. Running away from the police should not be a death sentence, but we often see it resulting in one for Black men. Review of the body camera footage showed us that Genesis never laid a hand on or threatened the Frisco police officers, but they immediately resorted to this unnecessary use of force. We will not let this tragedy be overlooked. We will advocate for transparency, answers, and justice for the Hicks family as they mourn his preventable death."
