A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy was fired after a viral video showed him slamming a student to the floor multiple times, the sheriff’s office said Monday, according to news reports.
The unnamed deputy, who served as a school resource officer at Vance County Middle School in Henderson, N.C., was originally suspended after school surveillance footage showed him picking up a student and throwing him on the floor repeatedly.
Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said in a statement obtained by The Washington Post that the deputy was “no longer employed” by the office. He also said the incident was “under investigation.”
Vance County Schools Superintendent Anthony Jackson said Monday that the episode was an “unacceptable and egregious act” and apologized to the affected student’s family.
“As a school system, as an administrator, as a district, we’re disappointed,” Jackson told reporters, CBS News reported. “As a community, we’re embarrassed, and most of all, we want to express our apologies to our community that this has occurred.”
The video showing the incident went viral over the weekend. School district officials reportedly informed the sheriff’s office of the episode on Thursday. The child allegedly attacked ended up with a bump on his head but was not hospitalized, according to NBC News.