In a press conference today, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced that he has fired school resource officer Ben Fields for his use of force against a teenager at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina.

The internal affairs investigation found that Fields did not follow proper training and procedure in handling the situation. "The maneuver that he used was not based on the training and was not acceptable," Lott said. "Deputy Ben Fields did wrong this past Monday, and we’re taking action for that."

"I can tell you what he should not have done: He should not have thrown that student," Lott continued. "When he threw he across the room, he lost control of her. That’s not acceptable."

He also revealed Fields’s reaction to the incident. "He is sorry that this whole thing occurred," Lott said. "It was not his intent. He tried to do his job and that’s what he feels like he did. It happened very quickly."

Interestingly, he started his comments by remarking on the students’ role in the confrontation, saying, "The student was not allowing the teacher to teach and not allowing the students to learn. … This incident started with a big, disruptive student in a class…she started this whole incident with her actions."

MSNBC is reporting on-air that a civil lawsuit will be filed on behalf of the student who was assualted. Attorneys are also working to have the records of both students who were arrested on Monday expunged.

(H/t WISTV)