A Cincinnati officer not only broke department policy by firing a Taser at an 11-year-old girl but sparked concerns with “prejudiced” remarks he made afterward.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the incident was captured on Officer Kevin Brown’s body cam and shows the young girl crying as the Taser barbs are picked from her back. Cincinnati police this week released the use of force report stemming from the shocking Aug. 6 incident.
Brown, who is African-American, was working theft prevention detail at a local Kroger store when he got reports of a group of girls suspected of shoplifting. The office said he spotted the girl trying to flee through a locked entrance before sneaking around near the customer service desk and making her way to another exit.
Brown finally approached her and demanded to see a receipt, the newspaper reported. The girl ignored him and continued walking out the store, however. That’s when Brown fired his stun gun, striking the 11-year-old in the back.
The attack left the girl, who is also African-American, with a lesion on her back and a small scrape on her forearm from hitting the pavement after the Taser was deployed.
“I didn’t want to do this, but y’all knew what you were doing” he says as he leads the girl to the Kroger manager’s office. “You know, sweetheart … this is why there are no grocery stores in the black community.”
Brown continues stating his regrets, saying it “hurt his heart” to have to use the deadly weapon on her.
“I just don’t know if you have room on the police department for people like this, ” said councilman and former police officer Wendell Young. “This guy, from what I am hearing, has serious issues. He apparently polices the way he feels.”
“There comes a time you have to cut your losses,” Young added.
Police chief Eliot Isaac will determine what discipline Brown will face following an internal department hearing. The officer could face anything from counseling to termination but would have the opportunity to appeal any decision.
As for the victim, police initially charged her with theft and obstructing official business, but the charges were later dropped.
“The incident wasn’t serious enough to deploy a Taser,” the use of force report read. “Police investigators said officers should use the least amount of force necessary when dealing with juveniles.”
Watch more in the video below.
