Just over a year after Eric Casebolt was captured on video slamming 15-year-old Dajerria Becton to the ground, a grand jury has declined to indict the McKinney, Texas, police officer.
CBS DFW reports that yesterday (June 23), the Collin County grand jury found that there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against Casebolt, the White former officer who not only assaulted the bikini-clad Black teen, but also pinned her to the ground and pointed his gun at other teenagers who attempted to help her. Casebolt—and 11 other officers—reported to the Craig Ranch subdivision when residents and a security officer called the police because young people were allegedly fighting and using the pool without permission. Many of the kids were Black.
The City of McKinney issued a statement on the decision, which was cited by CBS DFW:
The McKinney Police Department’s mission is to make the city a safe place to live, work and visit for everyone. In light of this, we seek to work in partnership with all who live and work in this great city. The incident at the Craig Ranch Pool in 2015 was turned over to the Texas Rangers for investigation. The Rangers concluded their investigation and presented it to the Collin County District Attorney’s Office. On Thursday June 23, the District Attorney’s office presented the findings of the Ranger’s investigation to a Grand Jury. The Grand Jury’s decision was to “No Bill” any charges against Eric Casebolt in relation to the June 2015 incident.
The department is will hold a community forum for next week to talk about “moving forward” and “strengthening police and community relationships.” The Dallas Morning News reports that the girl’s family plans to file civil rights and personal injury suits next week.
“It’s not surprising because this is certainly the tone in this country today,” Becton’s attorney, Kim Cole, said at a news conference.
Money magazine named McKinney the best place to live in America in 2014, but Cole said that doesn’t hold for all citizens: “McKinney may very well be the best place to live in the U.S., as long as you’re not an African American.”