A Mississippi officer was terminated after dashcam footage showed him using excessive force on a suspect. (Meridian Police Department)
A Mississippi police officer was fired after shocking dashcam footage showed him using a stun gun on a handcuffed man.
Officers from the Meridian Police Department chased a van suspected of being used in a theft from Walmart from the retailer's parking lot to Highway 19 on July 16, ABC News reported.
Dashcam footage later released by police shows the van pull over and an officer walk to the vehicle and open the driver’s door. The suspect, who has not been identified, exits the vehicle and is handcuffed as more police cruisers arrive.
An officer identified as Daniel Starks is then seen appearing to push the suspect against the van and later using his forearm to strike the man on the neck.
WTOK reported Starks and the suspect “exchanged a few words” before the officer pulled out a stun gun and shocked the suspect on the shoulder, causing the suspect to fall to the ground.
A few officers are then seen trying to lift the suspect up when Starks appears to take out the stun gun again and shows it to the suspect, who is then placed in a police cruiser.
Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose told WTOK the “department has 'zero tolerance' for any use of excessive force.”
"It’s not something I’m proud of that’s connecting to the police department," Dubose said. "By no means. I know it’s going to be a lot of feedback and a lot of negative feedback."
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Starks was previously suspended without pay but on Monday he was issued a final notice of termination which went into effect Wednesday.
It wasn't immediately clear if the suspect was charged with a crime after the police stop or if he was injured in the incident.
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