One of two police officers accused of spraying a black U.S. Army officer with a pepper spray during a traffic stop and aiming their guns was fired, a city in Virginia announced late Sunday.
The City of Windsor said it took the action because it ‘is proud of its small – town charm and the mutual respect for its police department’, and joined calls from elected officials, including Governor Ralph Northam, in an investigation by Virginia State Police .
In the December 2020 meeting, two officers are accused of pulling their guns, pointing at second lieutenant Caron Nazario in the military and using a slang term to indicate that he will be executed.
Nazario, who is black and Latino, was also sprayed with pepper spray and beaten to the ground by officers Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker, according to the lawsuit he filed against them earlier this month.
The two parties in the case dispute what happened, but Crocker writes in a report that he believes Nazario is ‘evading police’ and that he considers it a ‘high-risk traffic stop’. Attorney Jonathan Arthur said Nazario was not trying to evade the officer, but was trying to stop in a well-lit environment.
Windsor officials said in a statement Sunday that an internal investigation had been opened when the department’s policies were not followed. Officials said disciplinary action had been taken and that Gutierrez had since been fired.
Officials added that the requirements of the department for additional training have been implemented from January.
“The city of Windsor is proud of its small – town charm and the mutual respect for its police department,” the statement said.
“As a result, we are saddened by such events to put our community in a negative light. Instead of diverting criticism, we have addressed these issues administratively with our staff, but we reach out to stakeholders in the community to engage in discussion and commit ourselves to additional discussions in the future. ”
Northam called the meeting “disturbing” and added that he had instructed state police to investigate.
“Our Commonwealth has done important work on police reform, but we must continue to work to ensure Virginia is safe during interactions with the police, law enforcement is fair and equitable and that people are held accountable,” Northam said.
The Windsor police chief did not respond to messages sent through the police department’s Facebook page over the weekend. Windsor is about 70 miles southeast of Richmond, the state capital.