‘HORRIFYING’

School Resource Officer Fired After Video Showed Him Slamming 11-Year-Old Boy to the Ground

The video shows the North Carolina school officer grabbing the boy in a hallway, picking him up, and slamming him to the ground twice.

A North Carolina school resource officer was fired on Monday after he slammed an 11-year-old boy to the ground twice. In the surveillance video of the Thursday incident, the resource officer of Vance County Middle School in Henderson is seen walking down a hallway alongside the child and then suddenly grabbing him and slamming him to the ground, pulling him up and viciously doing it again. “It’s obvious that the child was assaulted,” said Jason Spriggs, Henderson City Council member, in a Facebook Live video. He added, “To see this is just horrifying. It’s a rough video. I can’t imagine my child going through something like that.” The school informed the sheriff’s office immediately after the incident took place on Thursday and the officer—who has been with the department for two years—was subsequently placed on paid leave pending investigation. In a statement, Vance County Schools said they are “deeply concerned by the actions that took place,” adding that they are fully cooperating with local authorities.

Sheriff Curtis Brame told WRAL-TV that the child was not hospitalized, but he has a bump on his head. He is expected to see a doctor on Monday, according to an official with knowledge of the case, who also said the officer could face charges as early as this week.