LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — More people in the community are weighing in on the viral video showing a violent interaction between police officers and mostly Black students outside of Durango High School. It's been one week since the video was first posted online.
NAACP Las Vegas branch president Quentin Savwoir is speaking out in support of the students involved.
"I'm 36 years old and it gave me knots to my stomach," said Savwoir. "These are traumatic experiences, not just for the students themselves, but also for their families."
However, criminal justice professor Dr. Philip Stinson said it's important to review all the facts first before jumping to conclusions.
"This is a very unfortunate situation and it's very upsetting," said Dr. Stinson. "The problem, though, is if a teenager hypothetically had a firearm, they have to treat it as if they would anybody else with a firearm, without regard for the person's age."
Stinson is a professor at Bowling Green State University with research interests in police brutality and police integrity. He wants to know more about the encounter.
"The police are alleging that they received a report of a firearm in the area of the school," said Stinson. "It seems to me, that in light of that fact, perhaps the police officer's actions, although heavy-handed, were appropriate if they felt they were dealing with a potential deadly force situation."
Clark County School District sent out a statement Wednesday confirming the officer involvedin the incident has been "assigned to other duties until the investigation is concluded." In the same statement, the district said it is in the process of organizing a committee of diverse community members to inform school police about student and staff safety on their campuses.
Meanwhile, Savwoir said the students involved in the incident are worried about the ripple effects they could face.
"Two of those three young men have been described to me as star pupils and star athletes," said Savwoir. "They were very concerned about how this is going to impact their future."
