A new video sheds light on what actually took place during a lunchtime fight at a Kenosha, Wisconsin school earlier this month.
On Friday (March 18), the Kenosha Unified School District released edited surveillance footage that shows an off-duty police officer kneeling on a 12-year-old girl’s neck to restrain her from fighting a classmate.
The Associated Press reports the officer, Shawn Guetschow, breaks up the fight, begins to squabble with the 12-year-old and stumbles before hitting his head on a table.
As he gets up and regains his balance, Guetschow forcefully pushes the girl’s head into the ground and props his knee on her neck for what appears to be about 30 seconds before he handcuffs her and escorts her out the lunchroom.
Guetschow was initially placed on paid leave by the school district. However, he resigned from his part-time security job with the school earlier this week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
In his resignation letter, which the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel obtained, Guetschow alleges the school district hasn’t supported him since the incident took place and that the fallout has placed a heavy burden on his family.
“Given the events that have taken place and the escalated attention this incident at Lincoln Middle School has caused in the community, mental and emotional strain it has bought upon my family, and the lack of communication and or support I have received from the district, I can no longer continue my employment with the Kenosha Unified School District,” Guetschow wrote, misspelling brought.
Kenosha police told AP in a statement Guetschow is still employed by the department.
“We continue our investigation, paying careful attention to the entire scope of the incident,” the statement said. “We have no further update at this time.”
The 12-year-old student’s father Jerel Perez has been calling for the video to be released since the altercation took place in early March. Now, he wants the district attorney to bring charges against Guetschow for using a police maneuver that was banned last year.
Perez said his daughter now has to go to therapy and see a neurologist for her injuries. He is calling for criminal charges for the officer, and said he will be filing a lawsuit against the officer, school district and police department.
Take a look at the disturbing video below: