A police officer in Jackson, Mississippi, has been placed on administrative leave and is under an internal investigation after a video surfaced showing him pinning a young man against a car.
The officer, Myron Smith, is seen in a video from a bystander that began circulating Friday showing him pressing a young black man’s neck against a car.
Smith, who is also black, can be seen shouting at the young man who sounds like he is gagging, and a young woman nearby is heard yelling, “He can’t breathe,” according to Jackson Free Press.
“Ma’am, do you see my hands? I am not even choking him,” Smith said in response.
“When the video surfaced, it got to Chief James Davis, and he immediately placed (Smith) on administrative leave and turned it over him to Internal Affairs,” Jackson Police Department public information officer Sam Brown said.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba released a statement about the incident saying that the actions of Smith don’t represent Jackson’s principles.
“This administration is clear that we are trying to build an approach to public safety that is about trust, collaboration, and integrity. Any actions that do not reflect those principles have no place in the City of Jackson,” the mayor said in the statement.
The incident in Jackson comes as riots have broken out in Minneapolis over George Floyd, a black man who died while in police custody earlier this week.
