Kinston community reacts to the Chauvin guilty verdict amid its own alleged police brutality
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges on Tuesday in the murder of George Floyd.
Though some members of the Kinston community felt justice was served, some couldn t find the words to say amid Chauvin s guilty verdict and Kinston s own alleged police brutality, which was caught on video Monday, April 12. I felt justice was served, Jeremy Lane, who attended Kinston s protest last year following the May 25 death of Floyd, said. The thing that gets misconstrued in any police brutality case, especially now with social media, is that the general public quickly assumes all police officers are the bad guys. That couldn t be further from the truth. We amplify a very small, small percentage of bad apples to the point we believe the whole bunch is spoiled.
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
The arrest of David Lee Bruton Jr., 36, was publicized by a Facebook video posted by a passenger in a car at the corner of West Vernon Avenue and Queen Street. The video appears to show Kinston Police Department officers punching Bruton after a foot chase.
Here s what we know so far about what happened and when.
- Monday, April 12 at 6:38 p.m. Kinston police respond to the Little Caesars Pizza at 111 W. Vernon Ave. in downtown Kinston after the panic alarm is triggered by a 38-year-old woman who works at the restaurant. According to witnesses, a man threatened one of the employees and walked away when officers arrived.
The two Kinston police officers who were captured on a private citizen s video restraining and striking a suspect multiple times Monday evening have no prior disciplinary actions taken against them.
After obtaining the officer s personnel files from Kinston Police Chief Tim Dilday Thursday afternoon, nearly 48 hours after the initial request, the records show that Officer McKinley Jones and Officer Kevin Page, both 22, have not received a dismissal, suspension, or demotion for disciplinary reasons taken by the city before Monday night.
Dilday explained the department offers what is called CIT training and that one of the two officers involved in the incident has participated in the training, the other has not. Dilday declined to comment on which officer had received the CIT training, citing North Carolina General Statute 160A-168 regarding releasable personnel information.
Kinston police video: Officers suspended during investigation of Monday beating kinston.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kinston.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Interested volunteers do not need to signup but simply show up at 8 a.m. in the parking lot behind the police department located at 205 E. King Street. Trash pick-up tool, gloves, trash bags and buckets will be provided with limited availability. Volunteers are encouraged to bring some additional supplies if they can.
The cleanup will focus on East Bright Street and Shine Street area, and South Queen Street to Adkin Street.
“It’s just an area where we see a large amount of trashing,” Goyette said. “People can take pride in their community, and we want people to be willing to come out and want to be part of this.”