William McNeil Jr. is a 22-year-old biology major and marching band member at Livingstone College. Following a horrific interaction with law enforcement over a routine traffic stop, he is sadly starting what will likely be years of physical healing. The police involved shooting that occurred on February 19 in Jacksonville, FL raised frightening questions about police behavior generally and the treatment of Black people under comparable situations.
Cellphone and body-camera footage from the arrest have shed light on the events leading up to McNeil’s forceful removal from his vehicle. The footage shows the arrest of McNeil, a student at a mostly black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina. His hands are up, he is openly showing submission, and he is still in communication with the officers. Only moments before this nearly became a violent confrontation, McNeil had started to approach—“What’s your justification?” This inquiry preceded by just seconds the point at which he was violently removed from his vehicle.
McNeil, according to reports, had been ordered several times to leave his car. When approaching the police officers he opened his car door as he announced his presence. After about four minutes, he unlocked the door and let the dog out. As the officers got out to pull him over, the driver was calling on the radio to ask for a supervisor. Because they broke the window and forcibly removed him, there was a literal physical battle.
As a result of the arrest, McNeil incurred a concussion. In addition to this, during the struggle, he borched his own finest by puncturing his lip with one of his own teeth. His lawyers allege that police made up facts in the arrest report to cover up and provide justification for the violent actions taken against him.
“That day I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,” – William McNeil Jr.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing McNeil, released the following statement on the wider implications of the incident. And so, America, we’re better than this, we’re at a crossroad. We applaud Attorney General Holder for his comments focusing national conversation around needed police reform and accountability in minority community sensitive cases.
The event has led to widespread protests by local residents and activists calling for accountability for McNeil’s death. Supporters, including Jones herself, say that the footage undeniably shows he wasn’t a threat at any time during the interaction. As the investigations move forward, community leaders have stressed the need for transparency and accountability from local and state law enforcement officials.