COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio police officer captured on video apparently kicking a handcuffed suspect in the head also was involved in a fatal shooting last year.
Columbus police said the officer, identified as Zachary Rosen, has been reassigned to non-patrol duty, pending an investigation.
The video taken Saturday shows an officer restraining a man on the ground, when Rosen appears to kick him in the head.
“The action taken by one of our officers does not meet the standards by the Columbus Division of Police,” police said in a statement. “It appears to be inconsistent with the values and training we instill in our officers.”
According to a police report, officers were investigating a report of a man threatening to shoot up a house and everyone inside. Court documents identified the suspect as Demarko Anderson, 22.
Police said Rosen self-reported the kick while Anderson was in custody.
On Monday, Anderson pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated menacing and resisting arrest among other counts, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The public defender’s office representing Anderson could not immediately be reached for comment.
In a statement, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said he was “disturbed and upset” by the video.
“The behavior we saw in the video was unacceptable and inconsistent with our values as a community,” Ginther said. “It erodes the trust the residents of this city place in law enforcement.”
Police also confirmed that Rosen was one of two plainclothes officers who fatally shot a man in the city last year.
According to records released Monday, Rosen and the other officer, Jason Bare, told investigators that they shot Henry Green in June 2016 after he opened fire on them, and that they feared for their lives. The two also said in written statements that they shouted “police” before opening fire.
Police said the 23-year-old Green, who was black, ignored commands to drop his gun during the shooting by the officers, who are white. A grand jury last month declined to indict the officers in Green’s death.
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