The Louisville Metro Police Department has moved to fire an officer who struck a person that was surrendering with a baton during a Black Lives Matter protest last year.
According to the Courier-Journal, Officer Cory Evans was given pre-termination paperwork on Thursday after a federal court charged him with one count of deprivation of rights on Wednesday. Louisville was one of the epicenters of Black Lives Matter protests that arose last year due to deaths of both George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police.
Evans is accused of striking a protester in the back of the head with a riot stick while they were kneeling on the ground. Federal court documents reveal that Evans allegedly “struck M.C. in the back of the head with a riot stick while M.C. was kneeling with hands in the air, surrendering for arrest.” The protester, who the documents have labeled M.C., suffered injuries as a result of the incident.
Court documents also reveal that Evans intends to plead guilty in his next hearing on July 14 before U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings. Kentucky state law requires an officer to lose their certification if they plead guilty or are convicted of a felony offense.
From Courier Journal:
Evans’ personnel file reflects he was given a written reprimand and mandatory driver’s training following an accident where he was “at fault” in 2015. A second “at fault” accident in 2016 led to an oral reprimand. A third in 2017 also resulted in mandatory driver’s training and a written reprimand.
He most recently served in LMPD’s First Division, a transfer sheet reflects.
Letters of commendation included in his file recognize his actions following a mass shooting on the first day of protests, a woman who jumped from a rail yard bridge, a search warrant that yielded arrests, narcotics and eight guns, among other incidents.
It’s wild how cops are allowed to have hit or miss careers. I keep coming back to that Chris Rock joke about how there are some jobs that need a 100 percent success rate. How are you gonna get in three accidents where you’re at fault and keep your job? At the very least that should have you transferred to desk duty.
Evans was not the only cop charged this week for actions during protests last summer, as three Ohio officers were charged with dereliction of duty for allegedly assaulting protesters unprovoked. It’s almost like there’s a reason people are protesting against cops being needlessly violent.