GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — Bystanders reported that last Thursday, two school resource officers intervened in a situation where some Central High School students were arguing and one of them shoved another.
When one of the students used a slur against Deputy Phillip Peterson, he attempted to escort the student to the office. However, the student asked not to be touched and pulled away, which led to the situation turning violent, as per the bodycam footage. Deputy Peterson, who has been on the force for three years, put the minor in a chokehold before taking him to the ground, while Officer Michael Hand, a nine-year veteran to the force, threatened to tase the student.
Although Deputy Peterson’s dashcam recorded his phone call with the student’s grandmother where she took the officer’s side, what he said doesn’t quite match what happened. When the student’s grandmother saw the video, she contacted Houston lawyer James Roberts of Palmer and Pearlstein Law.
Roberts spoke to the grandmother several times and found out that she was upset that she had initially blamed her grandson, thinking he was in the wrong. However, after seeing the video, she realized that the officer had lied to her. Roberts, who has a young son of his own, wanted to help provide justice for the student’s physical and mental injuries, as he believes that the student shouldn’t be painted as a thug or someone who is going wrong.
It’s worth noting that Colorado doesn’t have a qualified immunity law that protects law enforcement from individual liability. Roberts pointed out that in his experience, officers and agencies in Colorado tend to do the right thing and accept accountability.
So far, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office has said that they are aware of the incident and videos on social media and that they take issues involving the use of force seriously. They have engaged their professional standards unit to conduct a thorough internal investigation.
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