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St. Joe County Sheriff Bill Redman Reacts To Death Of George Floyd

Justin Hicks / WVPE Public Radio

St. Joseph County Sheriff Bill Redman reacted to the death of George Floyd in a Facebook post Friday morning.

George Floyd was a black man who died in police custody after he was handcuffed and pinned down by a white Minneaoplis police officer who kneeled on his neck. The incident was captured on video.

In the Facebook post on the St. Joseph County Police Department Page, Sheriff Redman called the death a “serious lack of humanity.”

He says when he saw the video, he felt sadness, anger, and disgust.

Redman says regardless of the situation, it was completely unnecessary for the Minneapolis officer to have his knee on Floyd’s neck.

He also called what happened an “abuse of authority.”

Redman goes on to say the St. Joseph County Police Department will serve and protect, regardless of race or ethnicity.

He says St Joe County officers are trained to only use force when necessary.

Read full Facebook post below:
 

The past several days have caused me to suffer from a whirlwind of emotions including sadness, disgust and anger. Many of my colleagues and fellow officers share these same feelings over the death of George Floyd.

Like most of you that have watched this horrible and beyond reprehensible video, what occurred is a serious lack of humanity.

Regardless of the reported crime and the resisting arrest claim, the knee to the neck (for nine minutes) was totally unessessary and an abuse of authority.

Additionally, to the officer just standing there, your lack of compassion and unwillingness to stop what was occurring is sickening.

Please know that the women & men of the St. Joseph County Police Department are here to serve and protect you, no matter your race or ethnicity.

Our officers are trained to only use force when necessary and to use the minimal amount of force necessary to protect lives and property.

As your sheriff, I felt it was necessary to address this incident with the community I serve. Just know that I will continue to build the trust and support of our entire community.

The bottom line is, this is about serving citizens and all humanity compassionately and equally each and every day. My sincere condolences to George Floyd and to his family.