South Carolina cop caught on camera repeating n-word suspended without pay: ‘I can say it back’
A White police officer in Columbia, South Carolina, has been suspended after using a racist slur against a Black man on Saturday, arguing that the latter had used the expletive first. In video footage from the scene, Sgt. Chad Walker appeared to double down on his claim that he had the right to use the slur just as the patron did, the Washington Post reports.
“Are you serious?” one man asked. “Can you stop saying that word please?” another bystander chimed in. “He can say it to me, but I can’t say it to him?” Walker asked, referring to the Black man, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
The aforementioned clip made waves on social media before the Columbia Police Department suspended Walker without pay on Sunday, with the department’s chief apologizing for his conduct. “It is evident the actions of Sgt. Walker were a clear failure to fulfill the expectations and standards of our Department,” Chief W.H. Holbrook said in a statement. “The repetition of the racial slur and failure to de-escalate the situation were inexcusable.”
The incident comes as protests against racial injustice and police brutality continue across major cities in the country. In Columbia, dozens have been arrested over skirmishes with officers during protests that started following George Floyd’s death in May.
The cellphone footage of Walker using the slur was captured Saturday night after the officer entered a bar in the Five Points neighborhood to enforce the governor’s order to stop serving alcohol in food and beverage establishments at 11 p.m. According to the report, it is part of the state's efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The following day, the department released body camera footage that showed Walker, a 14-year veteran of the force, ordering patrons at the bar to drop their drinks or face arrest. The officer is then seen accusing a Black man of being "colorblind" for allegedly using the n-word on him -- although it is unclear what the man actually told the cop.
Outside the bar, Walker is seen on video arguing with another man who claimed the officer has spoken to the Black patron like he was “less than human”. “The gentleman right there that called me a [expletive]?" Walker responded, pointing at the Black man before reiterating the slur.
In response, the Black man denied having said the word and others around him confronted Walker for using the term. The officer clapped back saying he was within his rights to repeat the racial slur. “When I was called that, I can say it back,” he said. “You’re White,” someone is heard yelling, before Walker responded, “Who cares what color I am? He called me a word.”
As the group became more aggressive, another officer intervened and led Walker away from the scene. That officer was praised by Holbrook for quelling the situation.
“Our officers are trained to serve as leaders and to de-escalate confrontations of potentially volatile situations,” he said Sunday. “Although I am embarrassed and disappointed in the Sergeant’s actions, I was encouraged to see a junior officer intervene and remove Walker from the situation, potentially stopping further escalation.” According to Holbrook, Walker will remain suspended until the department finishes a disciplinary conduct review.