NC police officer filmed beating woman has been fired, police chief says
A Shelby police officer has been fired after he was filmed repeatedly punching a woman while trying to arrest her Friday morning, the police chief said Saturday.
“While this incident does not reflect the values of the Shelby Police Department, it does reinforce the importance of holding ourselves to the highest standards of conduct,” Police Chief Brad Fraser said at a news conference.
“As we move forward, our commitment to the city of Shelby remains unchanged: to protect our city with courage and serve our community with compassion.”
What happened
Officers were conducting a criminal investigation “when they encountered a suspicious female in the area,” Fraser at a Friday news conference.
“As seen in the video currently circulating on social media, the actions taken by one officer during that encounter are disturbing and inappropriate,” the chief said. “A second officer can be seen intervening to stop those actions.”
The video is timestamped just after 8 a.m. Friday and shows an officer, who hasn’t been named, throwing a woman to the ground and beating her with his fist outside some homes.
A second officer steps in after a few moments to pull the woman away and place her in handcuffs. The department did not say why police arrested the woman or specify the charges against her.
Recorded on a doorbell camera, the video has circulated on social media and caused protests outside the Shelby Police Department, Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC reported.
SBI called in to investigate
Shelby police have turned over the findings of their administrative investigation to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation “for an independent review of any criminal violations,” Fraser said Saturday.
“This step is being taken to ensure transparency, accountability and public confidence in our actions as a law enforcement agency,” the chief said.
“As I stated yesterday, community trust is the foundation of effective policing,” Fraser said. “The officers, telecommunicators and leadership of the Shelby Police Department remain committed to maintaining and strengthening that trust every day.”
SBI agents have already begun looking into the case “and will work to complete the investigation as efficiently as possible, while ensuring all relevant facts are thoroughly examined,” according to an SBI statement Saturday.
“We understand the community has questions and concerns, and we take that very seriously,” SBI Director Chip Hawley said in the statement. “We ask the public to be patient as we conduct our work.
“A careful, thorough investigation takes time, and our priority is to gather all available facts so that informed decisions can be made based on the evidence,” Hawley said.
The SBI urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the agency at 919-662-4500.
The SBI will submit its findings to the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office, agency officials said.