Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey Collin/
A South Carolina man who was stomped in the back of the head by a police officer was awarded a $650,000 settlement, the New York Times reported.
Clarence Gailyard was stopped by Orangeburg, South Carolina, police while responding to a 911 call reporting someone carrying a gun. He was carrying a stick wrapped in duct tape that he used on his walks.
Body camera footage from July 26 shows Gailyard being stomped by Officer David Lance Dukes. “Get on the ground!” Dukes yells. Because Gailyard had pins and metal rods in his legs and hip, he could not move swiftly to the ground. He made it to his hands and knees when the officer pointed a gun at Gailyard, then stomped him on the back of his head, causing his forehead to hit the ground.
Orangeburg, South Carolina officials admitted Officer Dukes used excessive use of force. City Administrator Sidney Evering said in a statement that the “vast majority” of the city’s police officers “do their jobs with honor and ensure that the citizens they are entrusted to protect and serve are treated fairly and with respect.”
“However, when an officer falls short of these expectations and conducts themselves in ways unbecoming to their department and the city, that officer must and will be held accountable,” he added. “That’s exactly what we have done in this instance.”
Officer Dukes was fired and charged with a felony.
“Mr. Gailyard is pleased to put this very troubling incident behind him and looks forward to moving on with the rest of his life. We appreciate how quickly Orangeburg city leadership moved to make this right by Mr. Gailyard. I’ve handled numerous cases involving police violence previously, and rarely have I seen a city swiftly accept responsibility and also work to ensure that this never happens to another person,” says Gailyard’s attorney Rep. Justin Bamberg.
In a news conference, Gailyard said he was still in pain. “Every time I look in the mirror and see the scar on my face, it is not OK.”