The San Antonio Independent School District dismissed the school police officer who body-slammed a female student, CNN reports.
School District Superintendent Pedro Martinez said the officer went too far, according to the network: “We understand that situations can sometimes escalate to the point of requiring a physical response; however, in this situation we believe that the extent of the response was absolutely unwarranted.”
School officials said Officer Joshua Kehm was responding on March 29 to a report of two students arguing outside Rhodes Middle School. The video, which appeared April 5 on YouTube, shows Kehm throwing the girl to the ground. He then handcuffs her before picking up her motionless body and walking her away.
According to CNN, Martinez said Kehm’s delayed report was “inconsistent” with what the video shows.
The San Antonio Express-News identified the student as 12-year-old Janissa Valdez. Her mother, Gloria Valdez, spoke with the Express-News about her reaction to the encounter: “I guess we’re still both kind of shocked. We still can’t believe it happened.”
The mother stated that Janissa had swelling on her upper right temple, which has since gone down. She also admitted that her daughter had been in previous fights with other students. Valdez said her daughter has been bullied since the start of the school year.
The school district’s investigation is ongoing. Officials will decide whether to take further action after concluding their probe, CNN reports.
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