San Antonio SRO Fired Over Video of Throwing Student to Ground

The San Antonio Independent School district on Monday fired a district police officer who became the subject of national scrutiny after a video surfaced on YouTube that appeared to show him throw a 12-year-old girl to the ground.

The San Antonio Independent School district on Monday fired a district police officer who became the subject of national scrutiny after a video surfaced on YouTube that appeared to show him throw a 12-year-old girl to the ground, reports the San Antonio Express-News.

While investigations into Officer Joshua Kehm's actions during the March 29 encounter at Rhodes Middle School are still ongoing, district officials announced his termination on Monday.

"We understand that situations can sometimes escalate to the point of requiring a physical response; however, in this situation we believe that the extent of the response was absolutely unwarranted," said SAISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez in a statement.

In an interview with MySA.com, Martinez said the decision to terminate Kehm was the result what the district considered an unwarranted use of force and the officer's failure to report the incident as required by district protocol.

Martinez said officers are required to report any use of force incident against a student immediately.

"That did not happen," he said. "When the police officer did submit a report, it was not at all consistent with the video."

Martinez said the report initially handed in by Kehm characterized the incident as an accidental fall.

"The investigation doesn't stop here," Martinez said, adding that the district is looking into the actions, or possible inaction, by school administrators.

Related:

Video: San Antonio SRO's Use of Force Against Student Investigated

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