Two Columbia, Missouri, officers seen on video trying to detain a man, who was repeatedly punched in the face by one of the officers, will no longer work for the police department after this week, the city’s mayor said.
Mayor Barbara Buffaloe confirmed that the officers will no longer be employed as of Friday.
“It’s been a rough week for our community,” Buffaloe said Monday during a City Council meeting. “I acknowledge when we have incidents happen that sometimes we ask for patience and grace, and it’s to make sure that we handle the situations correctly.”
The officers — identified by local media as Gardner Pottorff and Keenen Shouse — responded to a reported “disturbance” about 12:45 a.m. Sunday, March 7, in the 20 block of South 10th Street outside a downtown bar.
Video captured by a bystander showed the officers’ use of force.
The man’s face began to bleed as one of the officers, identified as Pottorff by TV media, punched him while he was on the ground. Someone standing nearby could be heard saying, “He’s punching him in the face. Oh my God.”
Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones requested an independent criminal investigation into the officers’ conduct, which is being done by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.
The department is also conducting an internal investigation.