An off-duty police officer is under investigation after video emerged of him appearing to kneel on the neck of a 12-year-old girl, in a disturbing reminder of the murder of George Floyd.
The male officer was responding to a fight between two students in the cafeteria at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, back on 4 March.
Video, captured on a smartphone by another student, shows the officer trying to separate the brawling teens before he is knocked to the ground.
The officer is seen quickly scrambling up and restraining the 12-year-old girl on the ground.
In the footage, which has gone viral on social media, the officer appears to pin the teenager down with his knee on her neck.
The 17-second clip does not reveal what happened before or after the moment caught on camera.
The incident has sparked outrage, drawing comparisons to Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and taking place in the city where Kyle Rittenhouse infamously shot dead two men and wounded a third during racial justice protests that followed.
After Floyd’s murder, police forces across the country banned the use of such restraints.
In Wisconsin, lawmakers banned police from using chokeholds except in life-threatening situations or where an officer has to defend themselves back in June 2021.
Even before the bill passed, several local police departments introduced similar policies outlawing the technique.
Attorney Drew DeVinney, who is representing the girl and her father Jerrel Perez, told ABC News that the incident in the school “should never have occurred” following the ban on chokeholds.
He said that the 12-year-old suffered head and neck injuries in the incident and was undergoing medical treatment.
Kenosha Police Department said that one staff member was injured during the incident.
Mr Perez wrote on Facebook that his daughter said her neck was “hurting bad” as he slammed the “clown” officer for his treatment of her.
“Look how this coward put his knees on a 12 year old girl neck best believe this ain’t going the way they think my daughter been complaining of her neck hurting bad and they have the nerves to lock her up and finger print her yea ok I’ll see y’all real soon didn’t y’all just kill a grown man like that but y’all wanna do it to my 12 year old daughter you clown KPD,” he wrote in a post on 4 March.
The girl’s father has posted several times since then, sharing the footage and calling for “swift justice” for his daughter.
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump also shared the footage online calling for the officer to be “held accountable”.
“An off-duty Wisconsin police officer placed his KNEE into a 12-year-old’s neck after she was involved in an altercation w/ another student!” he tweeted.
“We KNOW just how dangerous this incident could have been, yet the officer has NOT faced any repercussions! He needs to be held accountable!”
The officer, a 37-year-old male whose identity has not been released, has been a Kenosha police officer for four years.
He was working off duty for Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) at the time of the incident, the police department said.
The department said that it had seen the video clip and the photo which has been widely shared on social media and is “keenly aware of the significant sensitivity surrounding the photo”.
The incident is under investigation by both the police department and the school district.
“K.P.D., together with K.U.S.D. is investigating the incident in its entirety while being cautious not to make conclusions based off of a small piece of information shared on social media,” Kenosha Police Department said.
“Both agencies will look to our respective policies and procedures for guidance in this circumstance.
“It is the highest priority of those officers who work in our schools to provide a safe and secure learning environment for our children and staff.”
KUSD said that the officer was on paid leave from the school.
It is not clear if the officer is on paid leave or continuing with his normal duties for KPD.
The Independent has reached out to KPD for information.
