Lawsuit Claims School Resource Officer Broke Student’s Arm after Bathroom Fight in Florence
In a recent incident in Florence, South Carolina, a school resource officer from Wilson High School has been implicated in an alleged case of physical assault against a student. The accusation is entrenched within a lawsuit that calls out the Florence County School District and the Florence County Sheriff’s Office due to negligence and recklessness charges. The student, who had been involved in a fight with a group of students in a bathroom, suffered a fractured arm, allegedly at the hands of the officer.
An Unfortunate Incident at School
The incident took place on March 28, where Deputy Jerry Kelly was called to intervene in a fight that had transpired inside a school restroom. Upon the student’s exit from the restroom, Kelly endeavored to converse with him, only to be disregarded by the student who also showed signs of refusing to listen to the principal. What transpired after created the crux of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit maintains that Kelly, hearing the principal suggest that the student had made an attempted assault, proceeded to seize the student by his arm and “slammed him on a nearby desk”. This move, aimed at handcuffing the student, was captured in the body camera worn by Deputy Kelly. The disturbing footage reveals staff members at the scene, voicing concerns about the student’s condition and suggesting why he couldn’t respond to Kelly’s commands.
An Alleged Display of Unnecessary Force
Despite the hints dropped by the staff about the student’s physical state, Kelly was reported to have grown more irate. In a concerning show of behavior, the officer is said to have threatened and cursed at the student.
This opens up room for damaging criticism as the student, already bruised from the fight, had a large visible lump on his head. It was a telling sign of potential head injury—an important factor that Kelly should have discerned as affecting the boy’s capacity to respond, rather than viewing it as a mere sign of defiance.
As the incident escalated, the student was sent to the nurse’s office. His mother was contacted and the severity of his fracture was then determined, requiring him to undergo physical therapy after getting a full cast at the Medical University of South Carolina.
The Lawsuit: Plea for Justice
The lawsuit, therefore, serves not just as a quest for justice for an alleged act of physical assault, but also as an implicit call to take a closer look at the training and professional conduct of those entrusted with student safety. The treatment meted out to the student post his fight with co-students reflects poorly on the understanding of student psychology and a clear disregard for procedures that warrant empathy, understanding, and restraint.
The family of the victim is currently seeking a jury trial for damages, thereby instigating this lawsuit against all the key stakeholders involved in this unfortunate incident.
