IGP TUNJI DISU RECEIVES PCRC DELEGATION ON COURTESY VISIT, REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIP. (PHOTOS). #PRESS RELEASE.
Chief Robert Ephlin had only been on the job for a short two weeks before becoming embroiled in controversy. The incident in question occurred on Monday, April 6th, when police responded to a report of a fight between teens. The incident was captured on video.
Damarius Williams is the man on the receiving end of Ephlin's violent outburst. Damarius is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the back in 2013. He is the man in the wheelchair, pictured below. The former chief is in front of him with the red lights on his face and torso.
When officers responded to the neighborhood, Damarius's wife and son were handcuffed and ultimately arrested. Damarius was calmly asking to get more information on those arrests when he was screamed at, slapped and choked by Ephlin.
Damaruis stated that former Chief Ephlin was sticking his finger in Damarius's face, screaming at him, escalating the situation. He says he didn't touch Ephlin but fanned his hand away, saying, "Get your hands away from me." The video reflects this.
That simple request resulted in a very hard slap to the face that can be audibly heard in the video before Ephlin suddenly choked the wheelchair bound Damarius in front of the shocked and stunned onlookers. The eyewitnesses tried to help the paralyzed man and in the video you can hear them say to the chief, "You can't do that," and similar responses.
Following the video going public, the city of Osceola released a statement saying the mayor, Joe Harris Jr., is aware of the situation. The statement goes on to say they are taking the incident very seriously and calling for an independent review of Chief Robert Ephlin's actions. It concluded saying that appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of that review. Shortly after this statement, the chief resigned.
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