A New Orleans police officer was caught on camera shoving a high school student while he was participating in a parade, WWLTV reports.
In the video, Brandon Mitchell, a member of the L.B. Landry High School Band, was playing the horn during the Krewe of Muses parade when an officer appeared to push him.
Mitchell turned toward the officer and another band member joined him in speaking to authorities following the shove. The video ends with the two band members getting back in line as the parade pushes forward.
Mitchell’s mother, Tiffany Jones, shared the video on social media, calling for the officer to be reprimanded.
“I’m very upset about this‼️ I was not there but I’m so glad it was caught on video SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO REPRIMAND THIS OFFICER,” Jones wrote in a Facebook post.
Jones noted that the officer appeared to turn his back to her son after pushing him.
“As my son was continuing to try and get some kind of response from the police officer, he turned his back to him as if he didn’t just physically assault him and push him,” Jones told WWLTV.
The mother is also demanding an apology from the officer and is considering suing.
A spokesperson from the New Orleans Police Department said the Public Integrity Bureau has launched an investigation into the incident.
In a statement, the Office of Independent Police Monitor addressed the viral clip of the officer shoving the student.
“The OIPM can confirm the NOPD has taken immediate action including initiating a misconduct investigation and removing the officer from that assignment,” the oversight agency said in a statement. “In the coming days, the OIPM will be working with NOPD leadership to determine how to best move forward to address community concerns and hopefully work directly with the affected individuals and school.”
The Algiers Charter School District applauded Mitchell for how he handled the situation.
“We at Algiers Charter are deeply disappointed by the incident captured in the video, depicting a New Orleans Police Department Officer pushing an L. B. Landry Student and member of the Marching “Pride of Algiers” Band Unit. However, we commend our students for their restraint and refusal to engage in negative behavior,” Algiers Charter said in a statement.
Watch the video here.
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