Brendan O’Brien & Barbara Goldberg

(Reuters) – A police officer on leave accused of placing his hand on the neck and restrainting a girl aged 12 years old in Kenosha after a fight at school is being investigated. The city’s police said that he remains employed.

After Shawn Guetschow was taken off duty by the police, the incident at Lincoln Middle School on March 4, drew new attention to the issue. On Friday, Shawn Guetschow’s part-time security officer, the school district released footage.

This comes a year after Derek Chauvin (an ex-police officer from Minneapolis) was convicted for murder and sentenced at 22-1/2 years.

Guetschow has resigned as his security guard for Kenosha Unified Schools District but is still employed by the city’s police force. Kenosha Police Department stated on Twitter (NYSE :

Reuters received surveillance footage from the district showing two students fighting in a school lunchroom before two adults intervened. According to video, one of the adult took one of their students to the ground while placing his knees on her neck and handcuffing them.

Last week, an attorney representing the girl stated that the “mirror” was the same as the one Derek Chauvin employed to kill George Floyd.

Guetschow held her face down on the ground, raised his right leg and placed his left knee into her back. Drew DeVinney was the lawyer for Guetschow, who was only identified as the daughter of Jerry Perez.

DeVinney claimed that she told him she couldn’t breath, but DeVinney added that the officer “continued to press his knee into Jerrel’s daughter’s neck,” and Guetschow finally handcuffed Guetschow.

U.S. media reported that Guetschow claimed he had resigned his post with the school system because of the psychological and emotional stress it caused to his family. On Sunday, attempts to contact Guetschow were in vain.

Kenosha is a city with a turbulent past that saw police use force.

A Kenosha officer of police shot several Black men in the back while he was in Kenosha, in August 2020. This happened in front his children. Jacob Blake was paralysed from his waist.

This incident led to days of violent protests in the United States against racism and police brutality. The incident resulted in no charges being filed against the officer.

Tony Evers, Wisconsin governor, signed a law banning police choke hold use.

DeVinney had threatened to sue the district, the officer or the police department. The school district refused to comment beyond stating that Guetschow was forced to resign from his role at the school in March 15th.

On Sunday, Kenosha Police did not respond to our request for comment.

DeVinney has not yet responded to a Reuters comment request.