The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating an incident in which an Osceola County deputy sheriff was seen body-slamming a high school student to the ground.
Deputy Ethan Fournier is seen in video that went viral on Tuesday slamming a teenager to the ground on school property and handcuffing her. Her head is seen hitting a concrete walkway at Liberty High School in Kissimmee, Fla., in the graphic video.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos López confirmed during a Wednesday press conference that state officials are investigating the incident.
López said the sheriff’s department has “zero tolerance of use of force by any of our deputies.” He told reporters that the investigation was turned over to state officials “to make sure this is completely independent of our agency.”
“Complete transparency. We remove this burden off us and pass it onto a higher authority to ensure that no one can say that we’re looking out for our own,” López said.
The sheriff said that the student, whom he identified as a juvenile, is “fine” and did not sustain any injuries.
He also said that the incident followed the “disruption of a school function.”
“The student was not complying with lawful commands. She went after another student, and from there it [escalated], and that’s where the continued investigation is going from,” López said.
He said the deputy suffered injuries “when he hit the ground” but described him as “fine.” López added that the deputy has received death threats following the incident.
The sheriff said that the deputy “does not have a history of misconduct other than minor damage to property.” He did not provide specifics on the damage.
The deputy is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, he added.