Authorities will announce today that Richland County, South Carolina Senior Deputy Ben Fields, the school resource officer who was caught on cellphone video violently slamming a high school student in her classroom, will be fired.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said at a news conference Tuesday that the female student, who has not been identified, only suffered a rug burn. Her attorney stated otherwise during a segment on Good Morning America, claiming that the girl “has a cast on her arm; she has neck and back injuries.”
Police say the incident began when the girl became disruptive and was texting on her phone. Her teacher asked the student to leave, and, when she refused, called an administrator in.
At that point, Fields was also ordered to the classroom. Videos taken by other students show him standing before the girl, commanding her to stand up or be forcibly removed. When she refuses, Fields then body-slams the student to the ground while she’s still in her desk, and drags her cross the floor.
Lott said he doubted that race was a factor because Fields had been dating an African-American woman for quite some time.
Fields was initially suspended without pay. After the video began circulating, many via social media started demanding that he lose his job. The president of the South Carolina chapter of the NAACP has gone as far as to call for Fields to be charged with assault.
