Updated March 18 1:28 p.m.
Newly-released security camera footage from Kenosha's Lincoln Middle School shows a school security guard using a knee restraint on a 12-year-old student's neck for more than 20 seconds.
Shawn Guetschow was off-duty from his job as a Kenosha police officer, working as school security guard at Lincoln, when two students got into a fight in the cafeteria and Guetschow intervened.
Cell phone video of Guetschow using a knee restraint on the student went viral, sparking outrage and comparisons to the chokehold that killed George Floyd.
The Kenosha Unified School District released the security camera footage Friday, saying it had concluded its internal investigation because Guetschow resigned from his job with the district.
Warning: The KUSD security camera footage includes graphic content.
"As it appears that this incident may lead to litigation, the district will provide no further details at this time," said KUSD spokesperson Tanya Ruder.
The Kenosha Police Department confirmed in an earlier statement that the off-duty officer involved in the incident works for KPD. The department said it was investigating and has not provided any updates since then.
Earlier in the week, the 12-year-old girl's father spoke to the media and said his daughter is traumatized and needs to see a neurologist for her injuries.
Original story:
A Kenosha police officer resigned from his job as a security guard in the Kenosha Unified School District, after a video of him restraining a student with his knee sparked outrage.
Cell phone videos appear to show Officer Shawn Guetschow putting his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl as he intervenes in a fight at Lincoln Middle School on March 4.
The district had previously put Guetschow on paid leave, but it announced Wednesday he resigned.
Earlier in the day, the girl’s father, Jerrel Perez, and local activists held a press conference outside of KUSD headquarters calling for accountability.
"She’s humiliated, she’s traumatized," Perez said of his daughter, whose name is being kept private since she is a minor. "Every day I gotta hear 'Daddy I don’t want to go to school.' It breaks me because I wasn’t there to help her. I feel helpless."
Perez said his daughter hasn’t been back to school since the fight on March 4. He said she’s receiving both treatment for physical injuries and therapy for her mental health after being physically restrained by Officer Guetschow.
"I want to see this officer get charged," Perez said. "Because if it was me or another parent or another adult that put their knee on a kid, that would be abuse."
Perez’s lawyer, Drew DeVinney, said instead of Guetschow being charged, the police recommended charges against the girl.
DeVinney compared the situation to that of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes. A jury found that officer, Derek Chauvin, guilty of murder.
"If the world witnessing the slow murder of George Floyd wasn’t enough to stop this from happening, what is?" DeVinney said.
The knee-to-the-neck restraint Chauvin used on Floyd was widely denounced by police departments and use-of-force experts. The Kenosha Police Department’s use of force policy prohibits chokeholds except in situations where deadly force is allowed and as last resort.
READ: What's the status of policing reforms in Kenosha?
Less than two years ago, Kenosha was the center of police brutality protests after a KPD officer shot and wounded Jacob Blake, a Black man. That officer, Rusten Shesky, was found to have acted within department policy.
Perez and DeVinny were joined at the press conference Wednesday by activists from Kenosha, Burlington and Milwaukee.
"We are supposed to protect our children, no matter what mistakes they make along the way," said Taleavia Cole, the sister of Alvin Cole, a Black teenager who was killed by a Wauwatosa police officer. "They deserve to breathe."
Cole and the other activists, along with Perez, demanded that KUSD end contracts with police and fire the off-duty officer. Later in the day, the district announced he resigned.
READ: MPS Board Votes To End Contracts With Milwaukee Police
"If you need the police they can be called," said Kenosha activist Elizabeth Webb. "There’s no reason to occupy our schools, creating a war zone atmosphere for our children."
Activists are also calling for the Kenosha district attorney to not pursue charges against Perez’s daughter, and for the school district to release security footage of the incident.
Officer Guetschow is still employed by KPD, which, along with the school district, is investigating what happened. The district declined further comment due to possible litigation.
Activists and parents plan to continue their calls for change at a March 22 school board meeting.
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