The family of a 16-year-old girl in Florida who was beaten to death by an officer at the school this week are demanding that the deputy be fired and arrested.
The cellphone video of the incident was widely shared on social media, and Ben Crump, the civil rights lawyer who represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, has now taken up the case.
“The person who has to protect her is the person who made her cruel,” Crump said. “This is a problem especially in the African-American community, because we often see them using this excessive use of force with our children.”
Taylor Bracey is a junior at Liberty High School in Osceola County, Florida. Her mother, Jamesha Bracey, told NBC News her daughter had previously told school administrators that other students had threatened her.
“She is very traumatized at the moment,” her mother said, adding that her daughter had been suffering from headaches, blurred vision and memory loss since the incident. “(We are) just angry and want justice to serve.”
As seen in the video, other students were shocked when Bracey’s head audibly hit the concrete floor. The deputy is seen pulling her hands behind her back and handcuffing her.
Bracey’s mother said her daughter was beaten unconscious and could not remember hitting the ground. She told NBC News that school administrators were initially reluctant to tell her what happened. She does not believe she would have received a full bill if other students had not recorded the quarrel.
“Why did you do that to my daughter?” she said. “She’s a very sweet girl, she likes journalism … she’s a good kid.”
Sheriff Marcos Lopez announced Wednesday that he will hand over the case to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. During a news conference, he said deputy Ethan Fournier did not have a history of misconduct.
“In my understanding, it was an interruption of a school function,” Lopez said. ‘The student did not comply with legal instructions. She followed another student. ‘
Bracey’s family disputes this.
“There was never a fight,” Crump said. “There was an oral exchange. Taylor never touched anyone and then this police officer does what we see in the video. ”
Fournier is on paid leave while the investigation continues. His attorney, David Bigney, said in a statement that “school resource officers never want to put themselves in a situation where they have to use force on a student.” “Unfortunately, the situation sometimes rises to the level where violence is justified and necessary,” Bigney said. to conclude that the use of force was excessive without knowing what led to the use of force. in this case was in fact justified. “
Fournier’s father, Gregory Fournier, said in a text message to NBC News: ‘My son has an excellent record and would take a summary for the students. I think he is being treated very unfairly in public. ”
According to the National Association of School Resource Officers, there are an estimated 14,000-20,000 school resource officers in the U.S. and about 20 percent of all K-12 schools have one.
