South Carolina sheriff says third video shows student hitting school resource officer
A third video has emerged showing a different angle of the confrontation between a school resource officer and female student on Monday in a South Carolina high school. Authorities say that in this tape, the student can be seen hitting the officer in the head after he touches her.
On Monday, two videos shot by other students in the Spring Valley High School classroom were released, showing Richland County Senior Sheriff Deputy Ben Fields flipping the student over in her desk and then dragging her away. Sheriff Leon Lott said when he first saw the videos, "I wanted to throw up. This makes you sick to your stomach when you see that initial video. But that's just a snapshot." Lott said the girl was in math class, sending text messages on her phone instead of doing classwork. The teacher notified an administrator, and the student refused to leave class. Ultimately, Fields was called in to handle the situation.
Lott said the department's internal investigation into whether Fields violated policy should be finished by tomorrow, NBC News reports, and he'll announce the officer's fate; late Monday evening, Fields was suspended without pay. The Justice Department and FBI also plan to open investigations into the incident. The student, who is black, was arrested, along with a second student for "contributing to the chaos." Lott said he does not think race was a factor in the incident, adding that Fields has been dating a black woman for "quite some time." "The student was wrong in what she did — she disrupted class, she was disturbing the other students from getting an education," Lott said. "But does her actions meet the level of what this officer did? That's what we're going to decide."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Taliban's quest for tourists to see the wonders of Afghanistan
Under The Radar Troubled country wants to become a 'tourism powerhouse' – but how safe is it?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - May 17, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 17, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - May 17, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 17, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published