Nearly two years after George Floyd died after a police officer kneeled on his neck in America's Minnesota, a similar case has emerged from neighbouring Wisconsin. Shockingly, this time the victim was a 12-year-old girl, as per reports.
CCTV footage has emerged of the March 4 incident in which an off-duty police officer placed his knee on the neck of the young girl. The incident began with a fight breaking out in a school cafeteria in Kenosha city. Off-duty cop Shawn Guetschow was working as a security guard at the school at the time. He rushed to break the fight up.
In the surveillance footage, Guetschow is seen restraining one of the girls before pinning her down on the ground, and placing his knee on her neck for about half a minute, as per reports. Subsequently, he leads the girl out of the canteen.
The girl's father Jerrel Perez has reportedly sought criminal charges against the off-duty cop for using a banned type of restraint technique. The girl is reportedly being treated by a neurologist.
Guetschow was initially placed on paid leave, before resigning due to lack of support from school authorities, as per reports.
Also Watch: George Floyd murder: ex-US cop Derek Chauvin sentenced to over 22 years
In May 2020, George Floyd's death in Minneapolis had sparked 'Black Lives Matter', or BLM protests across America. Floyd had died after police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for around 10 minutes even as Floyd complained that he couldn't breathe. Chauvin was reportedly sentenced to over 20 years in prison for committing murder.