Who is Shawn Guetschow? Shocking video shows Kenosha cop kneeling on 12-year-old girl’s neck
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: A shocking video shows an off-duty police officer kneeling on a 12-year-old girl’s neck to restrain her following a lunchtime fight at a school in Kenosha. The footage shows Shawn Guetschow trying to break up a fight on March 4. He is subsequently seen kneeling on the child's neck for aroung a minute and a half.
The video shows two students, one in balck and the other in gray, having a fight with each other at the lunchroom of Lincoln Middle School. Guetschow and another staffer are seen intervening and pulling the two students apart. Guetschow is a Kenosha officer who worked as a security officer at the school. He is seen pulling down one of the girls, pushing her head against the floor and kneeling on her neck. He is subsequently seen handcuffing her and walking her out of the cafeteria.
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The girl's father, Jerrel Perez, has called for criminal charges against Guetschow. Neck restraint is a procedure that is banned for Wisconsin law enforcement officers. Perez said his daughter is undergoing therapy and is also seeing a neurologist for her injuries.
Guetschow, 37, was initially placed on administrative leave by the district. He later resigned from the part-time job with the school. He alleged in his resignation letter that he did not receive the support he needed from the district. He also said that the incident placed a heavy burden on his family.
Tweeting a photo of Guetschow, journalist Derrick Rose wrote, "This is @KenoshaPolice Officer Shawn Guetschow, who was seen pinning a student to the floor with his knee on the 12-year-old's neck. @kusd shared video surveillance video from the cafeteria of the moments before. New story posting shortly. @WISN12News #kenosha #kneeonneck".
NEW: This is @KenoshaPolice Officer Shawn Guetschow, who was seen pinning a student to the floor with his knee on the 12-year-old's neck. @kusd shared video surveillance video from the cafeteria of the moments before. New story posting shortly. @WISN12News #kenosha #kneeonneck pic.twitter.com/yRMtkejSS9
— Derrick Rose (@DRoseTV) March 18, 2022
“Given the events that have taken place and the escalated attention this incident at Lincoln Middle School has caused in the community, mental and emotional strain it has [brought] upon my family, and the lack of communication and or support I have received from the district, I can no longer continue my employment with the Kenosha Unified School District,” Guetschow wrote to Kenosha Superintendent Beth Ormseth, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Kenosha Police Department confirmed that Guetschow is still employed by the force. “We continue our investigation, paying careful attention to the entire scope of the incident,” the department said in a statement. “We have no further update at this time.”