A video has surfaced of two officers manhandling a 14-year old middle school student leading to the two resignations of the two former officers. It is unclear what started the altercation, as there is no audio as there may have been something said that triggered the officer, Anthony “Kip” Dupre, to slam the student on his way out towards the door. The unnamed student is seen entering the administrative office and giving a phone to use. Officer Dupre walks in shortly after and monitors the situation. The student seems to exchange some words with the administration and a woman working takes the phone back behind the desk.
Immediately after the phone is returned, the student is seen trying to exit the office where he is met by Dupre, who grabs him around the neck and slams him down to the floor. It is hard to tell via the view we have from the office camera what exactly is happening on the ground. But the officer walkies for back-up, and is seen removing what looks to be a black “gun-shaped” item from the student and gives it to a member of the faculty. The faculty member places it on the desk and removes it off camera shortly after. A second officer enters, Dan Cipriano, and assists with restraining the student, whom I should mention is very big in stature for 14 years old, but still smaller than the initial officer he is wrestling with. The second officer enters and lifts the student up and slams his face on to the desk.
The student is handcuffed and removed from the office. The officers were later charged with minor battery charges and they refuted that the reason for the use of excessive force was that the student reached for his gun. You do clearly see something placed on the desk in the video that resembles a firearm for sure. But the video is not quite clear enough to make that distinction. The student’s family believes the charges are a “slap on the wrist,” their attorney Kwame Asante told Baton Rouge-based The Advocate Asante said the teen was sent to the office for cursing on the playground. He then argued with a school administrator about how long he had to stay in detention. This is what started it all. If the student did have a gun, do you think whatever force necessary is okay? It is quite noticeable though that student is the only person of color in the video. Watch the video below and make the judgment for yourself.
