A California police officer was put on administrative leave after he “manipulated” the body of a man who had been shot dead by police, including tickling the man’s feet and attempting to open his mouth, according to officials and local media.
Senior officer Aaron Stringer improperly touched the body of Ramiro Villegas inside a hospital room last November, a day after the man had been shot dead by police, the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement yesterday.
The statement did not elaborate on Stringer’s actions but said he was placed on leave the next day.
The Bakersfield Californian newspaper reported on Friday that he pretended to tickle Villegas’ feet and tried to pry open his mouth.
The newspaper, citing reports it obtained from the department, said he told another officer at the hospital that he “loves playing with dead bodies”, before laughing.
The Californian said Stringer was not permitted by the county coroner’s office to touch the body. It quoted the department’s reports as saying he declined to comment on the allegations and had hired an attorney.
Police said officers shot Villegas dead the night of November 13 at the end of a brief high-speed pursuit, when he got out of his car and “aggressively” approached officers before he “reached towards his front waistband”.
No weapon was found at the scene.
In February, the Kern County District Attorney’s Office declined to bring criminal charges in the case, the statement said.
The Californian reported that Villegas’ family has filed a claim against the city over the shooting.
The case comes as 10 California officers in San Bernardino county were placed on leave after being caught on video repeatedly kicking and beating a suspect on horseback - an incident now under investigation.
San Bernardino County sheriff John McMahon said he was “disturbed” by footage of the arrest of Francis Jared Pusok, 30, a white male with a lengthy criminal record.
Video taken by a television news crew showed him being kicked 13 times, punched 37 times and struck four times with batons, according to local media. The violent arrest occurred in desert scrub in Apple Valley, 130 kilometres from Los Angeles.
Tensions have been high in the United States over perceived police abuse, following national protests triggered by a string of cases in which white police officers shot down black men.
The most recent case involved a city patrolman in South Carolina state, Michael Slager, who was filmed by a bystander shooting repeatedly at a fleeing black man during a traffic stop. Slager has since charged with the murder of Walter Scott, 50, and fired from the force.
With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51ku6bD0miuqKqcmXyivtOimqWdX2aEd4KQbm5om5Ghtqe70aegmmWgpLmqr8SmmKdloKGupLHDZqOemaaaeqK4y56enpycrnq1tcKko6Kml2Kxpq3DZqquq6CasLW%2FjJ%2Bcnqw%3D