CORRECTION: An earlier report said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody found no charges against Deputy Ethan Fournier. It was not Moody, it was Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell. That error has been corrected.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — An Osceola County Sheriff's deputy caught on camera bodyslamming a student in January will not face charges from the incident, State Attorney Monique Worrell announced Tuesday.
Deputy Ethan Fournier, a school resource officer, was responding to an incident at Liberty High School in Poinciana when the video was shot.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said the student wasn't obeying officers, and Fournier responded the way he was trained to.
"Once the officer or the deputy decides we're no longer in control of the situation, he's gonna resort to the tactics that he's trained by (the Florida Department of Law Enforcement0," Lopez said. "They're not always gonna look pretty, but this was the best way to maintain control of that situation."
Regardless, the deputy's actions have been decried by some who say the student wasn't armed and didn't pose an actual threat to law enforcement.
While Fournier's actions didn't rise to the level of criminality, Worrell said the situation was disturbing.
"Although Officer Fournier's actions were legal by Florida law, as a parent and member of this community, when I watch this video, like many of you, I was angry and concerned for the safety and wellbeing of my children, and all children," she said.
Worrell said that school resource officers needed additional training, body cameras and access to mental health services for students in crisis to better handle students of all ages.
Lopez said school resource officers are fully trained in deescalating situations and the Liberty High School incident was a rare occurrence.