Meridian police officer fired after man shocked by stun gun

Published 11:54 am Friday, July 27, 2018

MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi police department has fired an officer after video shows him repeatedly grabbing the neck of a black man being restrained by another officer and then approaching him from behind to shock his neck with a stun gun.

Meridian police Capt. John Griffith tells The Associated Press the officer, who’s white, has been fired for violating department procedure. Griffith says his agency has a “zero tolerance” policy regarding excessive force.

The video , recorded by another officer’s camera, shows the man dropping to the pavement after he’s shocked.

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WTOK-TV reports the fired former patrol officer, Daniel Starks, had chased the man July 21 after he was suspected of shoplifting. The man had already been caught and was being restrained by other officers when Starks caught up with the group and stunned him.