Source: Boston Globe / Getty
The Georgia police officer captured on video physically assaulting a Black passenger has been fired.
According to published reports, the former unnamed officer has been fired from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office following the incident of excessive force.
The termination comes after a video of the severe attack went viral, showing the victim, Roderick Walker, pleading with law enforcement to leave him alone, before getting smacked in the face by the unnamed officer who was in full uniform.
The video later displays the officer putting his knee on the neck of Walker who was facedown on the pavement with his hands behind his back. The attack, which began as a traffic stop for a broken tail-light in which Walker and his cousin were passengers, left him with a swollen eye after receiving several punches.
“I’m gonna die!” and “I can’t breathe,” a witness who observed Walker on the ground heard him say, according to TMZ.
While initial reports stated that Walker and his group were accosted while being Lyft passengers, on Monday (Sept. 14) the ride-sharing company released a statement clarifying that they were not.
“We’ve been made aware of a disturbing incident in Georgia. While we confirmed this did not happen during a Lyft ride, we unequivocally stand against racism and unnecessary use of force,” the Twitter statement read.
On Sunday (Sept. 13), the Sheriff’s office announced that the officer was no longer employed after an internal investigation that was launched immediately after they were made known of the attack.
“After being made aware of a video posted on social media involving a Deputy using physical force on a man, Sheriff Victor Hill ordered his entire Internal Affairs Unit to come in and begin an investigation that has been ongoing since 8 p.m.,” the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ last Saturday. “The Deputy who repeatedly struck Roderick Walker is being terminated from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office by order of Sheriff Victor Hill for excessive use of force.”
—
Photo: Getty
