Mississippi officer fired after video of suspect being hit
JACKSON, Miss. – A Mississippi police officer has been fired after cellphone video showed him hitting a handcuffed suspect.
A Jackson Police Department news release says officer Justin Roberts was fired Monday by Chief Lee Vance.
The release says the suspect was hit Saturday; Vance started an internal affairs investigation after the video surfaced Sunday.
The identity of the handcuffed man was not released.
It was not immediately clear whether Roberts can appeal his firing.
The Associated Press tried to leave a message for Roberts at the Jackson Police Department, but department spokesman Commander Tyree Jones says he does not have a way to reach the fired officer.
Jones says both Roberts and the handcuffed suspect are African-American.
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