The Gwinnett County police officer at the center of a viral tasing video has been fired by the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Below is the statement from the police department:
The Gwinnett County Police Department has received multiple inquiries from the general public over the past day in reference to the viral social media video of Officer Oxford’s arrest of Kyndesia Smith on August 18th. The police department has maintained that it would provide transparent information to the public in a timely manner. In order to do this, a three-pronged investigation was started that addressed the following concerns: the arrest of Smith, the use of force, and the conduct of Officer Oxford.
The investigation on the first and second concern reflects that there was probable cause to arrest Smith for Obstruction of a Law Enforcement Officer and that the subsequent use of force was within policy.
The third concern that was investigated was the conduct of Officer Oxford. The Gwinnett County Police Department holds its officers to the highest standards of conduct and integrity. Prior to the viral social media video being discovered, the conduct of Officer Oxford was already flagged by supervisors and an investigation had begun. That investigation looked at whether proper de-escalation techniques were used, and whether Officer Oxford violated our policy based on the manner in which he handled the incident. Our policy states that each member of this department shall consider it his or her duty to be of service to the general public and to render that service in a kind, considerate, and patient manner.
One of our core values is courtesy. We strive to conduct ourselves in a manner that promotes mutual respect with the community and our peers. The investigation in this case has shown that Officer Oxford violated our policy and did not meet our core values. For this reason, the employment of Officer Oxford has been terminated as of August 21st.
To further the transparency of this incident, the police department is releasing body-camera video to the news media. We hope that in doing this, it will show that we are committed to building upon the public trust as servants to the citizens of Gwinnett County.
Here is the bodycam footage released by the Gwinnett County Police Department:
And in case you missed it, the viral video is below.
