Mom of Man Tased by Frisco Police and Died: ‘He Was No Threat’

Texas Rangers and the Collin County District Attorney’s Office are investigating a deadly tasing incident involving two Frisco police officers.

It happened last month in the 2600 block of the Sam Rayburn Tollway.

Genesis Hicks, 26, died two weeks later. He was laid to rest this week.

“Broken. I am a broken parent,” said mom Angela Hicks, tearfully. She explained that Genesis was her firstborn child.

“When he wasn’t at home, he called me and told me ‘Mama I love you,’ every day, no matter what, and they took that,” said Angela Hicks.

She said her son was interested in buying a vehicle from the dealership in Frisco to be more independent.

She said a friend drove Hicks to the dealership on Sept. 14 when Frisco police said they were contacted about a suspect trying to use “fraudulent identifying information to purchase a vehicle,” according to a news release.

Police said the suspect ran when they tried to detain him into a parking lot where he refused commands and warnings to stop.

“He was no threat. He had no weapon,” said Angela Hicks.

Police said Genesis Hicks was tased once which was ineffective, then tased again by a second officer which led to him “falling and hitting his head on the ground,” according to the release.

He was taken to a hospital with multiple skull fractures and brain injuries, according to Angela Hicks, who over the following days said she thought her son’s condition was improving.

“I’m thinking the movement we got, you know, it was good but it wasn’t because my baby took his last break at 7:32, September 29,” Angela Hick said as she wiped away tears.

NBC 5 obtained a copy of the Frisco Police Department’s Response to Resistance Policy which states officers must “protect the sanctity of life by responding only with a force that reasonably appears necessary to effectively bring an incident under control.”

Dr. Alex del Carmen, associate dean of the school of criminology at Tarleton State University, said how officers are supposed to react during pursuits depends on their department’s policy.

“In some cases, police departments do allow their officers to use force when the suspect is fleeing but it does depend on the nature of the case and whether or not the suspect does pose a threat to officers and other people in the area,” said Dr. del Carmen.

In a statement, Frisco police said they can’t comment on specific details about the case because of the ongoing investigation.

They said the officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave but allowed to return to full duty after an internal review revealed the officers acted in accordance with department policy,” the department told NBC 5 in an email.

The two officers have been with the department for 12 and 7 years, respectively.

“He didn’t deserve to be killed over no fake id because he was not a threat,” said Angela Hicks.

Hicks said she questions the police account of what happened to her son and won’t believe any version until videos from that day are released.

“Because what ya’ll telling me, ya’ll seeing in this video, it’s not equivalent to the deadly trauma my child suffered,” she said.

NBC 5 has requested videos of the incident.

The Hicks family has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump who said in a statement, “Running away from the police should not be a death sentence, but we often see it resulting in one for black men.”

Frisco police said public safety continues to be their highest priority and anticipate releasing more information once the investigation is complete.

A DPS spokesperson said the Texas Rangers investigation is still in the beginning stages and can’t comment.

The Collin County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately return calls for comment.