A Fresno police officer used excessive force on a black 17-year-old male during a January 2019 incident caught on camera, according to an independent auditor’s review released on Thursday.
The audit says Officer Christopher Martinez continued to punch London Wallace after he was no longer resisting arrest or posed any threat to the officer.
D’Aungillique Jackson, a member of the Fresno Police Reform Commission, says the Fresno Police Department should remove Martinez from the force.
“I think the officer involved should be let go of,” Jackson said. “I don't think the officer should be on desk duty.”
Independent reviewer John Gliatta told the Fresno Bee he held off on releasing the report in July because he was afraid it would create civil unrest. Jackson said the community’s trust in the Office of Independent Review was already low.
“It's going to continue to add on to public distress and public unrest,” Jackson said. “We saw with the city council meeting that several community members joined in to voice their upsetness.”
On Monday, the Fresno Police Reform Commission unanimously approved a recommendation that would restructure the Office of Independent Review and reconsider Gliatta’s position.
In a statement, Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall said he cannot “disclose personnel decisions involving discipline or corrective action arising from use of force incidents.”
“I can assure the community appropriate action has been taken to address the level of force applied in the incident involving London Wallace,” Hall said in his statement.
