One Waller, Texas, police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into his seemingly unprovoked use of pepper spray on a student, KTRK reports.
Officer Adolphus Cannon is being investigated by the Waller Police Department regarding the incident, which took place Oct. 6. According to the report, officers were responding to a disturbance at an apartment complex near Prairie View A&M when student Bobby Hall started recording the event with his camera.
“I’m a mass communication major here at our school," Hall told the news station, saying that he always has his camera and records events because that’s just what he does.
In the video, the officer can be seen pepper-spraying the senior.
“It just started burning my face. It was burning,” Hall said.
“I think he should lose his job. I feel like I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just using my First Amendment right. I feel like he was abusing his authority,” the senior, an aspiring photojournalist, added.
According to Hall, Cannon allegedly even tried to negotiate with him, promising to let him go if he kept the video to himself.
The police department released a statement that says, “We became aware of a video in which one of our officers may have used pepper spray during an encounter with a civilian. We are currently reviewing this incident to determine the officer’s compliance with standard operating procedures. The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of our review.”
Read more at KTRK.