The Henry County Police Department has fired Officer David Rose after video that appeared to show him choking Desmond Marrow, a former NFL player, was posted online.
The video was posted on Facebook by Marrow on April 26 and shows him being arrested and slammed to the ground in a McDonough, Georgia, shopping center parking lot. The arrest happened in December.
“I’m not even fighting back,” Marrow said in the video. “I’m not even doing nothing.”
According to the police report, the arrest stemmed from a road rage incident involving Marrow and two other men.
Marrow’s attorney, Chris Stewart, said the two men called his client a racial slur and threw a cup of hot coffee at his truck.
The police report said Marrow admitted to police that he chased the two men into the parking lot.
WSB reported on Thursday that Officer David Rose no longer works for the police department.
"We promised to find the truth for Desmond Marrow, wherever it took us," Henry County Police Chief Mark Amerman said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He and all people deserve the truth, and being open and transparent is important to us at the Henry County Police Department."
"The Internal Affairs investigation revealed that unnecessary force was used by Officer David Rose and that Officer Rose was recorded stating that he choked Mr. Marrow," Amerman said in a media release posted on Facebook Thursday. "He was also recorded stating that he was not going to write that information in his report. This statement was recorded on Officer Rose's in-car video camera system.
“The Internal Affairs investigation also revealed that Officer Matt Donaldson’s actions throughout the arrest were within departmental policy. It is important to note what the brief cell phone video doesn’t show--which is the level of resistance by Mr. Marrow while officers were arresting him, and the struggle officers encountered while trying to get control of the situation while Mr. Marrow was fighting with those officers.”
Shortly after the firing was reported, District Attorney Darius Pattillo announced that the felony charge was also dropped.
"We are transferring the misdemeanor charges to the Office of the Solicitor-General for review," Pattillo said in a statement to the AJC. "We have reviewed the police reports, witness statements, 911 calls, audio and videos, as well as interviewed witnesses, and determined there is insufficient evidence to present any felony charges to a grand jury."
Stewart said his team still wants criminal charges brought against Rose.
CNN reported that Marrow is "very happy" about the outcome and that he forgives the police.
“People make mistakes,” Marrow said. “They’re human.”
Marrow and his attorneys said at a Thursday afternoon press conference that the department “got it right” for this investigation.
"I just want to say the situation is bigger than me," Marrow said, according to CNN. "I speak for the people that have been in the same predicament and they've died or they're not here to talk about the situation. So it's a win and it's a victory for their moms, for their families, along with my mom and my family, too."
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