Fairfield police reassign officer seen punching high school student on video, launch investigation

FAIRFIELD — A Fairfield police officer who was seen on a viral video repeatedly punching a Fairfield High School Student and pulling his hair has been reassigned and the department is launching a third-party investigation after public outrage, Fairfield police Chief Dan Marshall announced on Friday.

Marshall announced the move in a Facebook post saying that “an outside organization will conduct an independent investigation of the incident.” He did not specify the organization. 

Marshall apologized for the incident, which he said caused “division and concern within our community,” and said that the department will hold a community meeting to discuss what happened.

“We will carefully evaluate the totality of the investigation’s findings, for discipline, additional training, opportunities for improvements, or policy changes within the department,” he said.

Marshall’s statement came a day after videos of the incident went viral. Police issued a statement Thursday attempting to explain what happened and released body camera video of the incident. That statement did not indicate that the department would conduct an investigation.

Police said the incident happened during an arrest on the school campus at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Officers James Lewis and Bianca Brown, who also goes by Camacho, were dispatched to Fairfield high for a fight between two students.

Lewis was escorting one of the students out of the school when the student pulled away and turned towards Lewis, police said. 

Then Brown rushed toward Lewis, grabbed the student, slammed him to the ground, and punched him repeatedly in the head while yelling “give me your fucking hands.” In body camera footage, the student is seen using his hands to shield his face from Brown’s blows.

Police said the officer’s “distraction strikes” were meant to enact compliance “and gain access to his hands so he could be handcuffed.” 

The student’s family and community members rallied outside of the high school on Friday afternoon asking for a full investigation and accountability for the officer’s actions.

The student’s stepmother, Sequoia “Koty” Williams, identified the student as 16-year-old Maurice Williams. She said in an interview that the rally is about pushing for “some kind of accountability.” 

“I feel like she shouldn’t be around kids,” Williams said. “I feel like she should lose her job.” 

Maurice’s grandmother Ruthy Fisher said, “That bothered me seeing my grand-baby laying there, getting beat, like a dog, hair pulled.”

Barry Accius, founder of the nonprofit Voice of the Youth, asked why Brown felt “like this type of excessive force was necessary?

“In an already heightened situation, law enforcement's job is to de-escalate,” Accius said. 

The incident has left Maurice traumatized. Accius said he suffers from dizzy spells and the damage is also psychological.

Maurice’s father, Will Williams, said in an interview that his son didn’t want to come out Friday because he’s ashamed of the incident and “nervous about how police is making him look.”

“He’s a child, he’s emotional,” said Rhamesha Stevenson, Maurice’s mother, at the rally. “That day, he felt fear.”

“I just want justice for my son,” she said.