A South Carolina police officer has been suspended after he was caught on camera saying the N-word multiple times during a confrontation with a man of color.
The shocking incident occurred outside a bar in Columbia where Sgt. Chad Walker and other cops were called to enforce the order banning the sale of alcohol after 11 pm.
One man then referred to Sgt. Walker using the N-word and a witness started recording the incident which showed the man telling the officer: “You’re talking to these people of color as if they’re less than human.”
Walker replied: “People of color,” before pointing at someone. He then said: “That gentleman right there who called me a n*****? That guy just called me a n*****.”
Bystanders reacted in disbelief at Walker’s use of the racial slur, with one asking: “Are you serious?” and “Can you stop saying that word please?”
The man the officer pointed at said that he never called him the slur word.
“Actually you did,” Walker replied. “It’s on body cam.”
The man insisted that he did not use the N-word but Walker snapped back and said: “Yes you did. You got mad that I told you you couldn’t drink your drink and you called me that word.”
Someone then shouted: “You’re white!” to which the officer responded: “Who cares what color I am? He called me a word.”
The man decided to walk away but Walker repeated the N-word again, saying: “All you’re doing is calling me n*****. If you’d like to call yourself ignorant, keep saying that.”
Walker then asked someone to check the definition of the slur word in the dictionary.
The Columbia Police Department confirmed in a statement that Walker had been suspended.
The statement also said that the incident was captured on Walker’s bodycam and the officer can be heard telling the man that he is ‘color blind’ for using the n-word even though it is not clear if he really did.
Columbia Police Chief W.H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook said in a statement: “It is evident the actions of Sgt Walker were a clear failure to fulfill the expectations and standards of our Department.
“The repetition of the racial slur and failure to de-escalate the situation were inexcusable.”
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