A Shelby, North Carolina, police officer has been fired after viral doorbell camera footage showed him repeatedly punching a woman pinned on the ground during an arrest, prompting a state criminal investigation and street protests.
Shelby Police Chief Brad Fraser announced the officer's dismissal on Saturday, saying the decision followed an internal administrative investigation that concluded the officer's actions during the arrest were "disturbing and inappropriate."
The officer, whose name has not been publicly released, had been on administrative suspension since shortly after the incident. Fraser said the department has forwarded its findings to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to review whether criminal charges should be filed, according to CNN.
The incident occurred during a Friday morning encounter and was captured by a home doorbell camera in a residential neighborhood of Shelby, about 45 miles west of Charlotte.
The video appears to show the officer throwing the woman to the ground and striking her multiple times as she lies on her back, before another officer moves in and appears to intervene. The woman was later identified by family members and local reports as 34‑year‑old Cherrie (also reported as Sherry) Moore.
Moore's family told ABC News that prosecutors have since dropped all charges that had been filed against her in connection with the arrest.
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The SBI is now examining the footage and investigative materials from Shelby police to determine whether to recommend criminal counts against the fired officer. State investigators have not released a timeline for their review, and no charges have been announced as of the latest statements from officials.
The video spread rapidly on social media, drawing local residents into the streets on Friday and Saturday to demand accountability and greater transparency from the police department, ABC11 reported.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Shelby Police Department and in nearby intersections, some carrying signs criticizing excessive force and calling for changes to use‑of‑force policies.
Chief Fraser has acknowledged the public anger and said his agency will cooperate fully with the SBI review and examine its own training and response procedures.
While officials have not detailed what led up to the confrontation seen on video, Fraser said at an earlier news conference that what he observed in the recording did not align with departmental expectations.
He described the officer's behavior as outside policy and emphasized that the investigation's findings made termination necessary. The department has not released the full internal report but said additional information may be shared after the state's criminal review is complete, as per Charlotte Observer.
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