Kenosha school fight, new video released by district
KENOSHA, Wis. - New video has been released of the Kenosha school fight that ended with a student in handcuffs.
The video, released by the Kenosha Unified School District, shows the fight unfolding in the Lincoln Middle School cafeteria. An officer stepped in to stop the fight, and handcuffed the 12-year-old girl.
The officer, identified as Shawn Guetschow, resigned from his position at the school on Tuesday, March 15. The officer is accused of placing his knee on the girl's neck after breaking up the fight.
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The fight happened on March 4. The girl's family said they will be filing a lawsuit against the officer, the Kenosha Police Department and the school district.
Community groups Wednesday stood in solidarity with Jerrel Perez, the 12-year-old girl's father, who says she was the target of a bully.
In a statement to FOX6 News, the attorney representing the girl's family said:
"Mr. Perez just received the surveillance video from Lincoln Middle School. He is appalled by what he has seen. Officer Guetschow gripped his hand around Mr. Perez's daughter's neck and pushed her neck and head into the cafeteria floor. He then placed his knee on her neck and knelt down with the full weight of his body for an unconscionable duration. Officer Guetschow then handcuffed Mr. Perez's daughter and violently lifted her from the ground. This was a cruel and heartless act of violence aimed at a child and is unacceptable in our society.
In light of this video, Mr. Perez demands that the Kenosha Police Department immediately terminate Officer Guetschow."
Saturday, Kenosha police said in a tweet that they are "aware of Guetschow's resignation from the school district and the verbal notice of claim made by an attorney representing the student." The department added that Guetschow is still employed with the department and "we continue our investigation, paying careful attention to the entire scope of the incident."
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