A school resource officer is on leave after surveillance video captured him body-slamming a North Carolina middle schooler to the ground twice while escorting him to the school’s office, according to local media reports.
The video taken at Vance County Middle School and obtained by local news outlets shows the sheriff’s deputy walking alongside the child, only described as being under the age of 12, before the deputy suddenly lifts the boy up and throws him to the ground.
The deputy then grabs the boy’s limp body off the floor and throws him down again before pulling the child back onto his feet and dragging him down the hall.
Vance County Schools filed a complaint with the sheriff’s office on Friday. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation will now investigate the matter, Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame told WNCN.
“We went over and when we first saw the video, we were stunned, we were shocked,” Brame told the local station. “We all are parents and grandparents that have children at that same age, so it brought some great concern to us.”
Brame added that the school resource officer, one of two assigned to the school, has been placed on paid leave amid an investigation into the incident.
Vance County Schools said it is fully cooperating with that investigation.
“I don’t expect my deputy or any deputy or law enforcement in North Carolina to carry out their duties in that way,” the school district said in a statement obtained by WNCN. “The safety of our students has been and continues to be of the utmost importance to our district.”
A spokesperson for the NCSBI confirmed the agency is investigating the situation but declined to comment further in an email to HuffPost on Sunday. The sheriff’s department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story has been updated to include a response from the NCSBI.