FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF News) — Testimony began Tuesday morning in the appeal of a Ft. Worth Police officer suspended for using excessive force.
Officer William Martin was responding to a call about someone littering in a person’s yard and a disturbance. Craig then called 911, saying the neighbor grabbed her son and choked him.
A lawyer for Martin says he was told about the disturbance but may not have known about the call about Craig’s son being choked.
Fitzgerald told the hearing Craig had the “patience of Job,” saying Martin arrived to “chastise” Craig and did not ask about the condition of the child.
“A verbal battle between he and the people at the scene only serves to inflame the situation even further,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re supposed to be better than that.”
Fitzgerald said he originally planned on a 15 day suspension. Video was shown of Martin’s body camera and Facebook live video. Fitzgerald says the video shows Martin put his hand on a girl’s neck and “thrust” her.
“I don’t know if I applied the appropriate weight to the throat thrust,” he says. “The actual chop to the neck and his subsequent testimony, too, testifying that he thought it was the chest area.”
Martin’s lawyer asked Fitzgerald about a potential agreement to cut the suspension to seven days and drop the charge of excessive force.
“I was willing to go to seven days and make sure Officer Martin put a written apology to Ms. Craig,” Fitzgerald said.
The hearing ended for the day after Fitzgerald’s testimony and will continue Wednesday.
