Vicksburg police officer Eddie Colbert was suspended after an investigation into the arrest, which was caught on video and posted to Facebook, was conducted. The video showed Colbert pushing John Dolley onto the brick street and then Colbert forcefully kneeling on Dolley’s back when Dolley attempted to tell him something. Dolley’s cousin shot and uploaded the video, and the rest of his family filed a report on Sunday regarding the incident.
Mayor George Flaggs, who called for the investigation into Colbert’s actions, called the behavior on display embarrassing.
“It looked like it was excessive behavior on the part of the police officer, but we don’t know at this point. I’ve asked them to investigate it,” said Flaggs. “I can rest assure you that if it’s any type of excessive behavior, we will judge it accordingly.”
Colbert has not yet been charged with any criminal felonies for the incident. While Flaggs told reporters that he was an overall good officer, he did mention that he had “lesser disciplinary problems,” although he did not elaborate on what these problems were.
The Vicksburg incident is not the only excessive force investigation that the state of Mississippi has experienced this year. In July, former Meridian police officer Daniel Starks pleaded guilty to using excessive force against a man during a 2018 vehicle stop. The victim was shoved and then tased while handcuffed by Starks. The officer then threatened him with another tasing if he didn’t stand back up.
“Law enforcement officials who violate people’s federal civil rights are not above the law,” said Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark in response to Starks’ guilty plea. “This defendant is being held accountable for exceeding his authority and his power when he violated the victim’s civil rights.”
As for the investigation of Colbert, complete investigation findings are expected to be released in the coming days.
Flaggs said both Colbert and Dolley are Black.
Flaggs is asking anyone with video of the incident to come forward. Because the incident happened in downtown Vicksburg, investigators will look at video from cameras posted in the area and from police body cameras.
News outlets reported Colbert was shot in the face in December 2020 while working as a security guard at a nightclub in Jackson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
