The Osceola County deputy seen on video slamming a high school student to the ground following a fight on campus will not be charged, ClickOrlando reports.
Deputy Ethan Fournier, a school resource officer at Liberty High School, was seen on video slamming the female student to the ground before placing her in handcuffs. As the handcuffs are being placed, the student does not appear to move.
The girl received medical treatment at the school and is doing fine, the sheriff’s office said after the January incident
After an investigation by the Florida Department of Law enforcement, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell determined that no charges would be brought against Fournier since he was acting within the bounds of Florida’s use of force statutes.
“After a thorough review of the evidence, and the applicable law in this matter (the independent review) team has concluded that officer Fournier’s use of force did not violate any laws of the state of Florida,” Worrell said. ”As such, there will be no criminal charges filed in this matter.”
Florida’s use of force statute allows law enforcement to use force under certain circumstances, including when making an arrest, ClickOrlando noted.
Attorneys for the student released a statement after Worrell’s announcement saying, “(The teen) is still feeling the repercussions from Fournier’s actions and likely will for the rest of her life. This disgusting incident certainly sends a message to our young people of color – police officers should not be trusted and ‘protect and serve’ is nothing more than a meaningless slogan. While the state attorney has failed to get justice for (her), we won’t stop until we do.”
Officers meanwhile are hailing the outcome of the investigation as a “positive thing.”
“It’s a positive thing for law enforcement and for our community. Especially guys like (Fournier) that every day put their lives on the line to defend us and defend our children,” Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “It’s unfortunate that the young lady went through this incident. It’s also unfortunate that my deputy has suffered a lot of constant bashing and harassment. You know when he just did what he was trained to work and operate,” Lopez added.
Deputy Fournier said he would return to Liberty High School as school resource officer if given the opportunity.
