APOPKA, Fla. — The mother of a 14-year-old who was shocked by a Taser during a fight last week at an Apopka middle school demanded the Orange County school district change its policy on Taser use.
April Neal, the mother of Emmanuel Griffin, on Sunday called upon Orange County Public Schools to end the use of Tasers on students.
“I am disappointed and hurt,” Neal said.
An Apopka police officer shocked Griffin, who suffers from asthma, with a Taser to stop a fight at Wolf Lake Middle School Feb 22, according to a police report.
Griffin was shocked in the upper thigh, but the Taser’s probes were never released.
The officer said in the police report that he couldn’t pull Griffin off of another student and that Griffin disobeyed orders to stop. The students involved were then arrested.
Paulette Hamilton, the family’s attorney, said Griffin was defending himself and was shocked by the Taser after he already stopped fighting.
“We are demanding for the school board of Orange County to take a stand against the tasing of their students," Hamilton said.
Hamilton said someone shot footage of the fight, but she won’t publicly release it because other children are seen in the video.
Hamilton said she will provide the video to police.
The incident remains under investigation, but the school resource officer remains on campus on active duty.
The Apopka Police Department declined to comment on the incident.
Orange County Public Schools didn’t respond to Channel 9’s request for comment.