Florida: Black Teenager Suffers Memory Loss After Being Body-Slammed By School Resource Officer
A black teenager is currently suffering with memory loss after being body slammed by a school resource officer in Florida, USA.
The heartbreaking moment was caught on camera by students of the Liberty High School, which is located in Kissimmee, Florida.
In the video, the girl could be seen being slammed to the floor by the heartless police officer before handcuffing her.
You can watch the video below: (Warning, the video is hard to watch)
The BRUTALITY of an @OsceolaSheriff deputy body-slamming a student at Liberty HS in Kissimmee FL, hit so hard on concrete she likely lost consciousness! This was NOT a “minimal amount of force necessary” as dictated by the Dept’s use of force policy! We must demand justice! pic.twitter.com/zm8cwQb2gZ
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) January 27, 2021
The victim has been identified as 16-year-old Taylor Bracey.
It was later revealed that the officer was breaking up a fight, which involved Bracey.
The family of the teenager denied that she was involved in any fight.
Deputy Ethan Fournier, the police officer that body slammed Taylor, has been placed on paid administrative leave.
The case is currently being investigated by the authorities.
Jamesha, the mother of Taylor, talked about the incident with WESH 2, a local news channel.
She said:
She [has been] very depressed since this happened. She’s not herself. She’s not Taylor. She is having trouble sleeping, and she’s having a problem remembering. […] We just wanted justice to be served and for [Fournier] to be charged – to be held accountable for what he’s done.
The 16-year-old student was reportedly knocked out by the slam.
Marco Lopez, an Osceola County Sheriff, said that the officer that body slammed the girl is a 10 year veteran and does not have any history of misconduct.
Lopez added:
We… have made the decision to turn this investigation over as criminal to the Department of Florida Law Enforcement. We’re going to allow them to take over this investigation and work with our state attorney’s office to make sure this is completely independent of our agency… complete transparency.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, released a statement about the incident, saying that they have launched an investigation.
They added:
We are investigating… It’s a use of force case. That’s all the information we’re releasing at this time.
The family has also hired a lawyer for the incident.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is also the representative of Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Jacob Blake, is the lawyer of the family.
During an interview with WESH 2, the lawyer said:
I am just angry that a trained professional, adult man feels that he has the right to pick up and slam a young Black girl. He is supposed to use the minimum force necessary. They don’t do this to other people’s children. Why do they feel like it’s okay to do it to our children?
Locals are now demanding to remove Fournier as the school resource officer.
They are also saying that he should not be allowed to work around children.