FDLE asking for the publics help with their investigation into an Osceola SRO’s use-of-force on student captured on video

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over an investigation into a video of an Osceola County Sheriff’s Office school resource officer taking a student to the ground during a “confrontation” at Liberty High School.

FDLE is now asking for anyone that witnessed the confrontation and may have video, of the events leading up to and after to contact FDLE Orlando at 1-(800)-226-8521.

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The sheriff’s office was first alerted to the video by Liberty High School officials Tuesday, and Sheriff Marcos Lopez said in a news conference Wednesday that the investigation into whether criminal charges should be filed against the deputy involved is being turned over to FDLE.

The video shows deputy Ethan Fournier taking the student to the ground before placing her in handcuffs. See the video below:

Video: Video shows Osceola County deputy slamming Liberty High School student to the ground A social media video shows a School Resource Officer taking a student to the ground during a “confrontation."

According to the sheriff’s office, the incident took place between classes as the officer was attempting to stop the student from fighting another student.

Demeatra Bodie, whose son is a Liberty High School Student who witnessed the incident, says the video left her speechless.

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“I was like, ‘What in the world? I have to do something...I can’t just let this go.’”

Osceola County investigators are now in the process of collecting video and witness statements to gain a better understanding of exactly what happened.

Demeatra Bodie thinks the officer should be arrested.

“If we were to do something like that to our kids, we will be in jail,” Bodie says. “No questions asked...we’re going to jail until they figure it out.”

She says her son did not witness the fight beforehand, but she’s eager to know what the fight was about and exactly why the deputy felt he had to step in the way he did.

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“We know that they’re there for safety reasons, but they need to be trained on working with kids, because kids are going to give you problems,” she says. “They give us problems as parents, but we’re not going to just beat on our kids and knock them unconscious.”

The school district says the issue is a sheriff’s office matter, as they don’t hire the School Resource Officers.

Cox Media Group