The Kinston Police Department is facing tough questions this week, after a video surfaced showing a Kinston police officer punching an 18-year-old multiple times, while holding that teen on the ground, even after the teen says he blacked out.
The department said it’s aware of the incident and is investigating.
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According to a release from Kinston PD, it started as a breaking-and-entering and larceny call near S Tiffany Street.
The incident escalated when the 18-year-old, Cameron Williams, says he walked over to the responding officer to ask who police were looking for.
A video of the altercation that followed between the officer and Williams, shot by a bystander, lasts just over three minutes. The video starts with Williams already on the ground. Just seconds into the video, the officer hits Williams at least two times. Moments later, other officers arrive on the scene and help hold Williams.
Williams begins shaking - what he says was a seizure - for a minute and twenty seconds.
“You feel all that weight on you, you can’t really tell what’s going on with your body,” said Williams, in an interview Monday.
In a release, Kinston PD said they requested medics at the scene, but Williams declined treatment.
Williams said he received minimal help and was too disoriented to ask for more.
“I really wasn’t in the right state of mind,” said Williams.
Williams was eventually taken to jail and charged with resisting a public officer and communicating threats. He was released from jail Monday on a $15,000 bond.
The arrest warrant accuses Williams of being a potential suspect in the breaking-and-entering case, and “refusing to stop when directed, pulling away during the arrest attempt, intimidating minors from assisting the officer in the investigation, and walking away from the officer after being directed to stop.”
Williams said he did speak to those minors at the scene and told them they did not have to cooperate with police, but denies trying to intimidate them. He did acknowledge he tried to walk away.
“I kept hearing him say stop, but I’m thinking in my mind, what’s the point of stopping when I ain’t do nothing wrong, and he’s looking for someone else?” said Williams.
Williams believes nothing he did justifies the treatment he received, feelings echoed by his mother.
“It’s hurting me now, though, just to look at it,” said Ashley Williams, who has watched the video of her son being detained over and over again.
Community activist David Bell, with the group IndyLeftPAC, argues this incident is part of a long pattern of behavior by Kinston PD.
“We would like something more,” said Bell. “An external investigation, maybe the SBI.”
In a press release, the Kinston Police Department said, “KPD takes all use of force incidents seriously” and is now reviewing the incident, including officer reports, witness statements, and body-worn camera footage.” The department is continuing to investigate the initial breaking-and-entering call that led to the incident with Williams.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Kinston’s mayor, Don Hardy, wrote, “First and foremost, I understand the emotional impact such videos can have on our residents. We take these matters seriously and recognize the importance of transparency, accountability, and building trust between law enforcement and the community.”
The Williams family is now considering legal action and wants the body camera video released in the name of transparency.
“Something needs to be done,” said Ashley Williams.
WRAL reached out to Kinston PD with a series of follow-up questions Monday afternoon, and is waiting for a response:
- What is the department's policy of rendering medical aid to someone in custody?
- Is a refusal of treatment ever overruled?
- Were all officers involved wearing body cameras, and were those cameras recording during the entire incident?
- Are the officers involved still in the field?
- Did the initial call about the breaking and entering include a description of a suspect?