San Antonio fires school police officer seen slamming girl in video

Last edited Mon Apr 11, 2016, 06:53 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Reuters

SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio school district on Monday fired a school police officer seen on a viral video body slamming a 12-year-old girl, saying his use of force was unwarranted.

Shortly after the video was released last week on social media, the district said it was investigating officer Joshua Kehm, who has been with the district since February 2015.

"We understand that situations can sometimes escalate to the point of requiring a physical response," Superintendent Pedro Martinez said. "However, in this situation, we believe that the extent of the response was absolutely unwarranted."

In the half-minute video, shot by an unidentified student at Rhodes Middle School on March 29, Kehm is seen grappling with the student, Janissa Valdez, in a school hallway, picking her up and throwing her to the ground.

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Read more: http://www.torontosun.com/2016/04/11/san-antonio-fires-school-police-officer-seen-slamming-girl-in-video

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JIM FORSYTH, REUTERS

FIRST POSTED: MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016 03:53 PM EDT | UPDATED: MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016 05:06 PM EDT

EDIT: Original Reuters link: San Antonio fires school police officer seen slamming girl in video