WINDSOR (Virginia, US), April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One of the police officers accused of using excessive force against a Black US Army officer in a Virginia traffic stop has been fired following an investigation, the town manager said.
The Windsor officers pointed guns at, pepper sprayed and pushed to the ground Second Lt. Caron Nazario, who is Black and Latino, during the traffic stop last December.
During the stop, the police officers believed the Army officer was missing a license plate on his new SUV.
Nazario is suing over the incident claiming the two officers violated his rights guaranteed under the First and Fourth Amendments.
One of the officers, Joe Gutierrez, has been fired, Town Manager William Saunders said. The other officer, Daniel Crocker, is still employed by the police department, Saunders said. A statement from the town didn’t give the date of Gutierrez’s firing.
The governor of the US state of Virginia vowed a full investigation Sunday.
Nazario, wearing his military uniform, was driving a newly bought SUV when the officers ordered him to pull over because he did not have permanent license plates, news reports said.
Virginia governor Ralph Northam said in a statement he had instructed police to conduct an “independent investigation” into the incident, which he said was “disturbing and angered me.”
Police in the United States have been hit with multiple allegations of racism and misconduct, including over the death of a Black man in Minneapolis last year in a case that attracted international outrage.
A police officer is currently on trial over George Floyd’s death, facing charges of manslaughter and murder.
The Washington Post said that Nazario, a health administration officer with the Virginia National Guard, was driving home on Dec 5 when he was pulled over.
Footage from the officers’ bodycams and Nazario’s phone spread rapidly over the weekend after Nazario filed a lawsuit on April 2 seeking $1 million in damages.
He was released without charge after the incident.
The lawsuit reportedly claims police threatened to end his military career if he spoke out about the officers’ conduct.
“We must keep working to ensure Virginians are safe during interactions with police, the enforcement of laws is fair and equitable, and people are held accountable,” Northam said. — NNN-AGENCIES