Photo: Harry Wedzinga / iStock / Getty Images
Fort Myers, FL - A controversial video circulating online shows a Fort Myers police officer allegedly drawing a firearm on two teenagers and using a Taser on one of them during a Friday night incident in Dunbar.
The footage has sparked outrage from the teens' families, local residents, and civil rights leaders, with calls mounting for the officer to be removed from the force.
E’Zarius Lockwood, 19, said the incident began after he and his friends honked to alert an officer that they were pulling in behind him near Henderson and Lincoln.
Moments later, video footage appears to show the officer pointing a gun at the teens and slamming another young man, identified as Easter Clarence Alexander, against a car after telling them to re-enter their vehicle.
Lockwood alleges he tried to calm the situation, but was shocked with a Taser.
Both young men claim they feared for their lives and insist they complied with the officer’s orders.
Their families have since contacted the Fort Myers Police Department and the NAACP, which is now demanding a meeting with Police Chief Jason Fields.
The department has launched an internal investigation and stated that the video only shows part of the incident.
Chief Fields urged the public to remain patient, emphasizing the need to examine all available evidence, including bodycam and dashcam footage, before drawing conclusions.
As of now, the officer has not been charged, and his identity remains undisclosed while the investigation is ongoing.