A video of what many are calling a clear example of police brutality is going viral. The two-minute clip shows a white officer in Columbus, Ohio, kicking a handcuffed black man, already on the ground and pinned by another officer, in the head.
The officer has been identified as Zachary Rosen, who was recently under investigation for the shooting death of Henry Green, a 23-year-old black man whom Rosen and another officer killed while both out of uniform. A grand jury declined to indict Rosen in the case.
In regards to Saturday’s incident, the Columbus Police Department has reassigned Rosen to non-patrol duty indefinitely.
“Based on what we see in the video taken on Saturday, April 8, 2017, the action taken by one of our officers does not meet the standards by the Columbus Division of Police,” the department said in a statement. “It appears to be inconsistent with the values and training we instill in our officers.”
In the video, after Rosen runs up to kick the 26-year-old suspect, Demarco Anderson, bluntly in the head, surrounding officers seem unnerved and Anderson asks to speak to a manager. According to the local NBC affiliate, police were arresting Anderson for allegedly threatened to shoot at a neighbor. Another neighbor captured the now viral video and uploaded it to YouTube.
Many are saying the officer used excessive force. “The guy was on the ground already. He already had restraints on him. What is the point of continuing to stomp him out on his face?” social justice advocate Kanyinsola Oye told NBC4. “That seems more like a fight like you’re trying to hurt someone, to me.”
Others point to Columbus having a history of police brutality.
This is what @ColumbusPolice expanded Summer Safety Initiative looks like @MayorGinther. We need new safety priorities #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/cl3K3cHDxI
— People's Partnership (@columbuspeople) April 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/KendraMLee/status/851838302118432769
Meanwhile, Sen. Charleta B. Tavares (D-Columbus) has called for an immediate investigation into Rosen’s actions.
H/T the Root