A Kenosha, Wisconsin off-duty officer who worked as security at Lincoln Middle School knelt on a 12-year-old girl’s neck while intervening in a fight.
According to The Associated Press, surveillance footage released by the school district shows officer Shawn Guetschow, 37, excessively restraining a student during a lunchtime fight on March 4.
On Friday, the Kenosha Unified School District released surveillance footage of Guetschow putting a student on the floor to constrain her before removing her from the cafeteria.
In the video, two students (one in black and the other in gray) are seen grappling before school officials, including Guetschow, run over and defuse the situation. The students continued to throw punches while being pulled apart. Geutshow is seen handling the student wearing white, pushing her head against the floor, and holding his knee on her neck before handcuffing her.
The student’s father, Jerrel Perez, has asked for criminal charges against Guetschow for restraining his daughter by the neck, which is banned for Wisconsin officers as of last year. Perez’s attorney, Drew DeVinney, said the student told Guetschow she couldn’t breathe when lying on the floor, but he continued to hold his knee on her neck, the NY Post reports.
Perez said his daughter sees a neurologist for her injuries and therapy for the traumatizing encounter.
NEW: This is @KenoshaPolice Officer Shawn Guetschow, who was seen pinning a student to the floor with his knee on the 12-year-old’s neck. @kusd shared video surveillance video from the cafeteria of the moments before. New story posting shortly. @WISN12News #Kenosha #kneeonneck pic.twitter.com/yRMtkejSS9
— Derrick Rose (@DRoseTV) March 18, 2022
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, following the incident, the Kenosha school district placed Guetschow on administrative leave before laddering to resign from the school on Tuesday.
Guetschow wrote a resignation letter to Kenosha Superintendent Beth Ormseth, displeased with the district’s lack of support.
“Given the events that have taken place and the escalated attention this incident at Lincoln Middle School has caused in the community, mental and emotional strain it has [brought] upon my family, and the lack of communication and or support I have received from the district, I can no longer continue my employment with the Kenosha Unified School District,” Guetschow wrote.
Kenosha Police Department shared a statement to Twitter stating Guetschow is still employed with them.
“KPD is aware of Shawn Guetschow’s resignation from the school district and the verbal notice of claim made by an attorney representing the student,” they wrote. “Guetschow is still employed with KPD. We continue our investigation, paying careful attention to the entire scope of the incident. We have no further update at this time.
