U. of Fla. Commanding Officer Fired for Shooting
GAINESVILLE, Fla.—The University of Florida commanding officer who was present during the March 2 shooting of a doctoral student has been dismissed from his position.
Lt. Stacy Ettel, 40, was terminated after an internal affairs investigation found that he violated three department policies before the shooting of 36-year-old Kofi Adu-Brempong. Although Ettel was let go on Aug. 11, the 17-year veteran will continue to be paid for six months, reports the Gainesville Sun.
Adu-Brempong was shot in his face during a confrontation with a police officer in his on-campus apartment. Police said the student was holding a metal table leg in a threatening manner, which led to the shooting. Later, it was discovered that he had experienced mental health problems prior to the incident. Days before the shooting, Adu-Brempong accused fellow students of being part of a plot to kidnap and kill him.
Authorities said Ettel violated policy by utilizing the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), which is designed to handle active shooters on campus, to confront a mentally ill person whose main threat was to himself. Additionally, Ettel should have used the Crisis Intervention Team officers who are trained in dealing with mentally ill individuals.
Additionally, Ettel failed to provide information involving the barricaded student to the assistant director of patrol and the police chief, a violation of campus policy.
Last month, four other officers involved in the incident were reinstated to full duty after working desk duty.
Adu-Brempong is undergoing numerous surgeries to recover from massive facial injuries. He may file a civil suit against the university as a result of the incident.
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