Kenosha police request FBI look at incident of off-duty officer putting his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl
By Omar Jimenez, CNN
The Kenosha Police Department has asked the FBI to look into the case of an off-duty police officer seen on video putting his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl for more than 20 seconds to break up a school fight in March.
“Chief (Eric) Larsen asked the FBI to look at it,” police Lt. Joseph Nosalik told CNN on Wednesday.
“Because of the visual similarities to George Floyd, he decided that our department’s credibility and integrity were paramount,” Nosalik told CNN affiliate WISN. “He wanted an outside agency to look at the incident in its entirety.”
The FBI has not responded to CNN’s questions about the status of any review or investigation of the March 4 incident at Lincoln Middle School in the Wisconsin city.
The off-duty officer resigned from his position with the school district on March 16. The Kenosha Police Department said in a tweet last month that he was still employed with the department.
Video of the incident in the cafeteria shows a fight begin between two students as the officer, working school security at the time, attempts to break it up before either being hit or falling backward with one of the students. It appears he hits his head on the edge of a nearby table.
Shortly after, the officer is seen on top of the student and appears to push her head into the ground with one hand and then place his knee on her neck for more than 20 seconds, appearing to apply the pressure of his body weight at some points.
The 12-year-old girl is eventually handcuffed, picked up and led away, the video shows.
Pete Deates, president of the Kenosha Professional Police Association, said Wednesday the union welcomes “any outside agency to investigate and examine our actions.”
The girl is currently receiving counseling and psychiatric services and undergoing physical therapy, her family attorney Drew DeVinney told CNN on Tuesday.
No decision has been announced on whether either of the girls involved in the fight will face charges.
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CNN’s Brad Parks contributed to this report.
