A white Texas police officer caught on cellphone video wrestling a Black woman, Jacqueline Craig, and her daughter to the ground was suspended without pay for 10 days, but he will not be fired.
After an internal investigation, Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald, the city’s first Black chief, said that Officer William Martin was “contrite” for his behavior, calling the suspension “significant punishment” during a press conference last week. Prior to his suspension, Martin had been placed on restrictive duty.
The case will also go before a grand jury. Fitzgerald has called Martin’s actions “rude” but not necessarily racist. The officer is appealing the suspension, which was effective January 10.
