"I do not understand, the police is supposed to take care of us and overtime we turn around they are doing something to hurt us," said Andrea Bailey.
"He took care of his mother and his little brother," said Aunt Michelle Bailey. "I do not know where they got all of this drug dealing stuff from, that is not my nephew. He was a good boy."
Butler's death is getting national attention, thanks to Fox Sports national columnist and family member Jason Whitlock.
Whitlock tweeted:
"The so-called war on drugs took 1 of mine 2day. Tasered him n the storming rain causing so much pain. All involved r 2 blame."
Butler's criminal history paints a different picture, though. He was locked up six times in the Marion County Jail. He was charged with a number of offenses, including theft of stolen goods, resisting law enforcement, having a gun without a license and being the member of a gang.
Law enforcement said on the night of Butler's death he took off before he could be questioned about a possible drug deal.
"The suspect was wrestled and (stunned with a taser) because he was violently resisting the officers lawful command to stop resisting," said IMPD Spokesman Officer Kendale Adams.
Members of IMPD and the Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to get him under control. Neither agency was certain how many times he was shot with the stun gun.
"No one relished this, no one wanted this situation last night," said Marion County Sheriff John Layton. "In those deputies' minds, at that time, a split-second decision, it had to be done. That is exactly what they did."
The Marion County Coroner will soon determine Butler's cause of death. The officers involved in the situation have been placed on administrative leave, pending the results of an investigation.
