The solution for excessively uses of force within police departments nationwide appears as if it is light years away now that Adley Shepherd, the Seattle cop who broke his handcuffed suspect’s eye socket has been cleared of charges.
Reports The Seattle Times:
Federal prosecutors say they will review an incident in which a Seattle police officer punched and seriously injured a handcuffed, intoxicated woman, after King County prosecutors said Friday they won’t charge the officer.
The decision comes after King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg announced that his office would not seek a state felony charge against Shepherd, 38, a nine-year department veteran, for punching Miyekko Durden-Bosley in the back of his police cruiser.
Durden-Bosley, 23, was intoxicated and was verbally abusive after her arrest outside the home of a Seattle man whose mother had called the police. Durden-Bosley swore at Shepherd and kicked at him while being shoved into the back of a police cruiser, according to the investigation.
Shepherd reacted by punching her once in the face, fracturing the orbit of her right eye. Shepherd suffered no visible injuries, according to court documents.
Shepherd has been on paid administrative leave since the incident.
Perhaps the biggest slap punch in the face is the statement prosecutors presiding over the case released, where they felt Shepherd “acted professionally.”
“Officer Shepherd reacted instantaneously to the kick by the suspect, who was wearing boots, with one punch to the suspect’s head which caused a fracture of an orbital socket…While officer Shepherd may have had other options or alternatives, we have concluded that we would be unable to prove that officer Shepherd’s use of force was criminal.”
Watch the eye-fracturing June 24 video below and let us know if you feel the right decision was made in the comment section.
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Photo: KIRO7
