A Seattle police officer unnecessarily used force when he punched a woman during an arrest according to a report from the Washington State Patrol.
An evaluator found Officer Adley Shepherd "acted in a way inconsistent with training and policy" during the arrest on June 22.
Officer Adley Shepherd was kicked by Miyekko Durden-Bosley while he tried to put her into the back of a patrol car. In response, Shepherd punched Durden-Bosley once, a hit that caused multiple fractures to the right side of her face.
After the incident, the Seattle Police Department relieved Officer Shepherd of duty one day after the incident and asked WSP to evaluate his actions to find whether they were reasonable and necessary.
According to the report, when Shepherd tried to put Durden-Bosley into the back of the patrol car, she swore at him and kicked out. The dash camera video did not show whether Durden-Bosley made contact with Shepherd when she kicked, the report said. In response to the kick, Shepherd went into the car and punched Durden-Bosley once with his right hand.
Durden-Bosley was treated by a Seattle firefighter then taken to Harborview Medical Center. The WSP report said photographs taken at the scene as well as later photos clearly showed trauma. Medical records showed Durden-Bosley suffered fractures to her right medial orbital wall and right orbital floor.
Officer Shepherd was also treated at the scene and taken to Harborview after complaining of soreness to his jaw and shooting pain in his face. The WSP report said his medical records didn't show any obvious injury.
WSP detectives sent the final report to the King County Prosecutor's Office and prosecutors will decide whether or not to charge the officer.
After reviewing the information, Robert Bragg Jr. released the following evaluation:
"Officer Shepherd's demeanor and handling of the situation immediately up to the assault by Ms. Miyekko Durden-Bosley were calm and respectful and appeared to follow the LEED model set forth in SPD dictum. However, following the assault he acted in a way inconsistent with training and policy by not using the time and resources available to him. As a result he unnecessarily placed himself in greater danger and caused unnecessary and foreseeable injury to the handcuffed suspect."
