Kenosha Officer Resigns From School District After Allegedly Kneeling On Girl’s Neck
A Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer has reportedly resigned from his off-duty role at the local school district amid an investigation into how he restrained a young girl while stopping a fight she was involved in.
According to ABC News, Officer Shawn Guetschow, who was working part-time as a security officer for the Kenosha Unified School District, was criticized after a viral video showed him putting his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl at Lincoln Middle School on March 4 in the midst of trying to break up a fight.
On March 15, Guetschow resigned from his role with the school district. Tanya Ruder, Kenosha Unified School District’s chief communications officer, confirmed the news to the outlet, which also reports that Guetschow is still employed by the police department, serving desk duty.
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Members of the Kenosha community were outraged at a school board meeting on Tuesday with some calling for the district to suspend its contract with the Kenosha Police Department. Others argued police officers are needed to keep students safe.
Video of the incident taken by a student shows the officer responding to a fight between two students during lunch at the cafeteria. The minor then pushes the officer before he pins her to the ground amid shouting from students who have gathered to watch. It’s unclear what happened before or after the 10 second clip reveals.
"We continue our investigation, paying careful attention to the entire scope of the incident. We have no further update at this time," the Kenosha Police Department said in a statement Saturday, according to ABC News.
The 12-year-old girl’s father, Jerrel Perez, spoke out against the officer’s tactics in a press conference last week and called for criminal charges.
"She's humiliated. She's traumatized. Every day I gotta hear, 'Daddy, I don't wanna go to school,'" Perez said Wednesday. "It breaks me, because I wasn't there to help her. I felt helpless."
ABC News reports that a charge of disorderly conduct was referred to juvenile court for both students involved in the fight.
