Cincinnati residents are demanding justice after an off-duty police officer working the security detail at a Kroger grocery store tased an 11-year-old black girl accused of shoplifting. 

According to news outlet WHIO TV 7, the officer, identified as 55-year-old Kevin Brown, who is also black, saw Donesha Gowdy with a backpack full of confiscated items and gave her a verbal warning. 

He’d been asked to provide security for the store because there were several reports of shoplifting. Reports claim Donesha, who was reportedly peer pressured into taking the items, refused to stop and allegedly forced the officer to take out his taser and stun her. 

“As a father, I could never imagine a scenario where it is acceptable to tase an 11-year-old child,” Councilman Jeff Pastor said. “Ever. Ever.”

Chief Eliot Isaac responded to outcries from city officials and the community but assured the public that an investigation would be conducted to see if the officer followed procedure. 

“We are extremely concerned when force is used by one of our officers on a child of this age," he said in a statement. "We will be taking a very thorough review of our policies as it relates to using force on juveniles as well as the propriety of the officer’s actions.”

The victim told NBC News she did not warrant the use of a taser. She wasn't aggressive or a threat to him. 
“It hit my back real fast, and then I stopped, then I fell, and I was shaking, and I couldn’t really breathe,” Donesha recalled. “It’s just like you’re passing out, but you’re shaking.”

As the investigation gets underway, the police will determine if the use of the taser was appropriate. Cincinnati Police Department procedure states tasers can be used on persons as young as seven and as old as 70. However, if a person is "simply fleeing from an officer, absent additional justification does not warrant the use of the TASER," it states. 

A Kroger spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday, August 8, that “we are saddened by this situation,” adding that the store shared police's “extreme concern.”

“We want to understand what happened, why it happened and we are assisting local law enforcement with their investigation,” the statement read.

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley has asked to have all charges dropped against the young girl, and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters has obliged. 

“Tasing an 11-year old who posed no danger to the police is wrong. I’m sorry for the harm to her and her family. This evening I called and asked [Hamilton County] Prosecutor [Joe] Deters to drop charges against the girl. I’m happy to report that he did, and I thank for him doing so.”

As for Brown, he won't be on the detail or the street until the investigation is complete. 

In the wake of the incident, WLWT-TV reports the city’s vice mayor, Chris Smitherman, approved legislation raising the age of legalized tasing from seven to 12 years old. 

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Cincinnati Police DepartmentGirl Tased