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By:
Stephen A. Crockett Jr. | |||||||||
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Jun,08-2015 19:07:43
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The nation has been shocked to see a viral video of black teenagers being chased and slammed into the ground by a white policeman after a pool party in McKinney, Texas.
A pool party in McKinney, Texas, Friday has shocked the nation after footage went viral showing a white police officer cursing, threatening and ultimately slamming into the ground and handcuffing a 14-year-old African-American bikini-clad girl. At one point the officer is seen pulling out and pointing his service weapon at a group of teens. The community is torn, the officer has been suspended and details have been scarce. So far, this is what we know:
McKinney, Texas According toTwitchy, someone posting from DJ Reign's account noted that he wasn't near the event when it took place and that he didn't make the fliers. In addition, posts noted that he was paid to deejay the event and nothing more. There have been conflicting reports as to how many guests were in attendance, but many outlets put the number as high as 70 teens. Police 
Video shows McKinney, Texas, Police Cpl. Eric Casebolt holding his gun as teens at the pool party run June 5, 2015.
YOUTUBE Around 7:15 p.m. Friday, police arrived after receiving calls regarding teens "actively fighting" near the Craig Ranch Community North Pool.BuzzFeed News reports that some teens and adults began fighting after adults made racist comments, reportedly telling the black kids to "return to Section 8 housing." In a YouTube video, party organizer Rhodes said that white residents began arguing with teens, including calling the teens racial slurs and telling them to leave the pool. Rhodes said that as she was defending the teens' rights to attend the pool party,two women approached her.She said one of the women smacked her, "and that is when both of the women attacked me."
The Officer 
Cpl. Eric Casebolt in video footage June 5, 2015
YOUTUBE The officer who is shown on the video pulling his gun on the teens has been identified as 40-year-old McKinney Police Cpl. Eric Casebolt. He is a veteran of the Navy and has been an officer in McKinney for 10 years, according toFox 4 News. Heavy reports that Casebolt is a patrol supervisor and is vice president of the local police union. He teaches a self-defense course and was named Officer of the Year in 2008, according to Heavy. The Aftermath Since the video went viral, Cpl. Casebolt has been suspended pending an investigation into his actions, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas has released a statement condemning the officer's use of force. "A well-trained police department would have responded more cautiously, with less hostility and using sophisticated crowd-control methods that favor de-escalation not escalation. Without question, guns were not needed and in fact risked turning a group of partying teenagers into a violent encounter that could have turned deadly," the statement continues. Several McKinney residents have taken to social media to dispute the reporting of the story. According to one McKinney resident, who asked that the "true story" of what happened get out, a DJ was blasting obscene music in a public area and carloads of teens where arriving in the neighborhood without permission to go to the pool. When the teens were confronted, according to the resident's post, they began climbing the pool fence and arguing with a security guard. When residents confronted the teens, the residents say, it was they who were attacked with racial slurs and physically assaulted. | |||||||||
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