March 7, 2022 6:05p
(WGTD)---An off-duty Kenosha police officer who provides security at Lincoln Middle School is on paid leave from the school district after he appeared to restrain a student by placing a knee on her neck.
The 37-year-old officer was in the process of trying to break up a fight between two students in the school's cafeteria Friday. A video clip that's been circulating on social media shows a chaotic situation in which the officer stumbles and appears to hit his head on a table. The short, shaky clip then appears to show the officer placing a knee on a girl's neck.,
In a statement, the police department said it's "keenly" aware of the "significant sensitivity" surrounding the photo--an apparent reference to the George Floyd case in Minneapolis.
The department says it's investigating the incident in conjunction with Kenosha Unified and doesn't want to draw any conclusions based off of a short video.
The release says one staff member was injured in the incident.
KCOR--Kenosha Coalition Organizing Resolution--also said in a Facebook post that it's gathering information on the matter.
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