The police officer who slammed a 14-year-old black girl to the ground and pulled his gun on black teens at a pool party has resigned.
McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley told reporters at a news conference Tuesday that officer Eric Casebolt’s actions were “indefensible.”
The McKinney police officer whose actions at a pool party disturbance last Friday went viral in a YouTube video resigned from the force on Tuesday.
“The actions of Eric Casebolt are indefensible,” police Chief Greg Conley told reporters at a news conference late Tuesday afternoon, saying the officer was “out of control during the incident.”
“I had 12 officers on the scene, and 11 of them performed according to their training,” Conley added.
Casebolt’s resignation was confirmed about one hour earlier by attorney Jane Bishkin, who told WFAA that the decision was made after a meeting with the department’s internal affairs unit to review possible charges her client could face.
The 10-year veteran of the McKinney Police Department was placed on administrative leave Sunday after a 7-minute video of the incident at a Craig Ranch community pool gained traction on the Internet. That clip has now been viewed almost 9.5 million times.
The footage shows Cpl. Casebolt, who is white, aggressively responding to the disturbance call, using profane language with black teenagers, unholstering his service weapon and pointing it toward the unarmed teens, and restraining a 14-year-old girl in a swimsuit by forcing her to the ground and placing his knee on her back.
Casebolt has not made any public statements since Friday’s incident. His lawyer said he has been in hiding with his wife and family at an undisclosed location after they allegedly received death threats.
Chief Conley said he was encouraged by community support in the wake of what happened.
“McKinney is a wonderful city,” he said. “It is a great place in which to live, work and visit. We are committed to keeping it that way.”
A few hours after the chief’s statement, a multi-cultural group of United Methodist said prayers in front of police headquarters. They said they are grateful that Casebolt is no longer on the force, but say there is still more ground to cover.
“I think it’s a good first step, but it’s not the end of the story,” said Frances Cudjoe-Waters of Hamilton Park United Methodist Church.
“I expect that our police chief will follow this through,” said Tommy Brumett from First United Methodist of McKinney. “My hope is that we can lower the tension and increase the conversation.”
Casebolt’s attorney said she would have more to say about why her client resigned at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
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Credits: Reuters, Brandon Brooks, TBW.
