Injunctions have been filed against the Liberty High School student body-slammed by an Osceola sheriff’s deputy by two mothers whose daughters attend the school.
The mothers say they filed the injunctions against 16-year-old Taylor Bracey for their daughters’ protection. In a viral video shared widely last week, Bracey was body-slammed to the ground by Osceola Deputy Ethan Fournier last month. Bracey was knocked unconscious when her head hit the concrete. She is now seeing a neurologist for headaches, memory loss, and blurred vision, according to the family’s attorney. Footage of the takedown sparked outrage.
Fournier has been placed on leave pending the investigation. The sheriff’s office has defended Fournier, and claims the parents’ accounts of Bracey’s behavior prove parents should “stop making excuses” for their kids.
The mothers who filed the injunctions say the video did not capture the full story of what led up to the deputy’s use of force on the teen.
Tresta Maynard said the video doesn’t show Bracey running at her daughter, Ja’Mara McWhorter, and another girl, Makaileah Sylvester.
“As she was running full force to our daughters, that’s when the officer intervened, and only at that time is when, that’s when she was taken down, and she was running at full force,” Maynard told WMKG.
Maynard and Sylvester’s mother, Tia Odum, say they filed injunctions against Bracey to keep their daughters safe. An attorney for the families said the parents are seeking protection from Bracey on and off campus. A no-contact order had been issued by the school between Bracey and the two girls prior to the use-of-force incident following an incident in the cafeteria. Maynard and Odum said Bracey did not abide by the order. For the injunction to go into effect, it must be approved by a judge.
Deputy Fournier claimed he slammed Bracey down to stop her from fighting another student, but attorneys Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson, who are representing Bracey and her family, said the evidence doesn’t show Bracey was involved in a fight leading up to the takedown.
Jackson, an Orlando attorney, said she has not seen an injunction.
“As far as we know, there has not been one filed,” Jackson said.
On Facebook, the Osceola Sheriff’sunion defended Fournier, writing in a post, “The truth will come out, and those who have vilified Deputy Fournier who is incredibly dedicated to not only his job, but the students at Liberty H.S. will have to retract their harmful and dangerous words,” the post said. “It is time parents in this generation hold their kids accountable for their actions. Stop making excuses for them, and start parenting.”
The sheriff’s office plans to charge Taylor with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence, both third-degree felonies.
