WATCH: Black Man’s Hands Up, Cop Tases Him in Back

By Kenrya Rankin Sep 08, 2016

The ACLU of Colorado just posted a video of an Aurora, Colorado, police officer using a stun gun on Black man last February.

The edited video, which was posted by the ACLU today (September 8), shows Darsean Kelley and another man’s February 19, 2016, interaction with police officers of the Aurora Police Department. It was drawn from one of the officers’ body camera.

Per the video, which contains text meant to narrate the events, the officers were responding to a call about a man who pulled a gun on a child. The caller did not provide a description of the man. Kelley and his companion were standing on the sidewalk when officers told them to put their hands behind their heads and turn around. Kelley repeatedly asked why he was being detained, and just after he said, “I know my rights!” he was hit in the back with the stun gun, which caused him to fall backward into the street. When Kelley reminded one of the officers that there were witnesses, the officer said, “It’s all on video, sweetheart.”

Kelley was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct for failing to obey a lawful order, and the officer wrote that he thought he might be reaching for a weapon. The ACLU of Colorado has filed a motion—which was emailed to Colorlines—with the municipal court to dismiss the case, arguing that Kelley was unlawfully detained and arrested without probable cause or reasonable suspicion.

Watch the video of the incident above.

*The spelling of Darsean Kelley’s name has been updated.