A South Carolina sheriff says he has fired a school officer after video showed him flipping a teen backward out of her desk and tossing her across a classroom.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Wednesday that Senior Deputy Ben Fields has been fired. He had been a school resource officer at Spring Valley High School.
Lott says the maneuver that Fields used on the student was not based on training or acceptable procedure.
Lott has said the girl was uninjured aside from a rug burn. However, the girl's attorney, Todd Rutherford, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she "has a cast on her arm, she has neck and back injuries." He says she also has a bandage on her forehead because of the rug burn.
Related: Video shows officer tossing student in classroom
Rutherford said his client may have struck Fields as she reacted to being grabbed by the neck.
The videos of the confrontation between a white officer and black girl stirred such outrage that Lott called the FBI and Justice Department for help. A criminal investigation is underway, but the probe generally takes more time.
Those who support the officer's actions say that the girl had been defiant, refusing to surrender her cell phone or leave the classroom after numerous requests.
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