JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two viral videos have put an officer in Jacksonville under the microscope — and taken him off patrol, at least for now.
Officer D.J. Bowers has been placed on administrative leave after video surfaced showing him punching William McNeil Jr. during a traffic stop, even after other officers had already restrained McNeil.
It’s the second time in less than six months that Bowers has faced scrutiny for use-of-force.
In both cases, the incidents went viral — and now, civil rights groups are calling for a federal investigation.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the latest incident is under review and the results will be released once the investigation is complete.
Within days of McNeil’s arrest video going viral, the State Attorney’s Office said it determined Bowers had not committed a crime.
Attorneys for McNeil, 22, say he’ll be joined Wednesday morning by family and members of the community at a news conference.
Civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Ben Crump are scheduled to speak on the incident at 10 a.m. at St. Paul Church of Jacksonville.
Channel 9 will be monitoring that news conference and will bring you the latest starting on Eyewitness News at Noon.
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