North Carolina Cop Caught On Doorbell Camera Punching Black Woman Fired And Charged With Assault

In a just world, any police officer caught red-handed engaging in egregious acts of police brutality would not only be fired from the police force but charged with a crime as well. Unfortunately, far more often than not, police departments take the position that unnecessarily violent arrests are justified, and even when they’re not, a simple firing will suffice, especially when the victim is Black.

However, a now-former North Carolina police officer didn’t have such luck, and after he was caught on camera repeatedly punching a Black woman accused of a non-violent crime, he was fired and then later charged with assault, and while none of that means an acquittal, dropping of charges or slap on the wrist is in that ex-cop’s future, at the very least, he wasn’t allowed to do what he did and simply walk away with no consequences.

Of course, the community had to stage protests first, as usual.

According to the New York Times, 22-year-old Karson Hyder was fired from the Shelby Police Department over the weekend after video footage taken from a nearby doorbell camera captured his violent arrest of 34-year-old Cherrie Moore, who, according to her attorney, is unhoused and suffers from mental health issues, went viral.

Hyder’s firing and eventual arrest came after the video was posted on social media on Friday, prompting protesters to gather outside the police department. Shelby Police Chief Brad Fraser announced Hyder’s firing that Saturday, and on Monday, Hyder turned himself in to the police after findings from an investigation were forwarded to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, which recommended that the officer be charged with one count of assault inflicting serious injury.

As it turns out, this wasn’t Hyder’s first run-in with his victim.

From the Times:

Mr. Hyder had a history with Ms. Moore. After an incident involving Mr. Hyder while he was still on the force, Ms. Moore pleaded guilty last year to a charge of resisting a police officer; she served 15 days in jail.

Ms. Moore, 34, has a history of arrests for low-level offenses, according to court records, and more recently, she had struggled with her mental health and was essentially homeless, her lawyer said.

Mr. Haynes said that the police wanted to question Ms. Moore about an early-morning fire at a long-abandoned funeral home, a site that homeless people had used for shelter and that was known as a place to go for illicit drugs.

When the officers found Ms. Moore, Mr. Hyder tried to handcuff her. When Ms. Moore asked why Mr. Hyder was grabbing her, he told her that he had a warrant, according to audio from the video and Mr. Haynes. Mr. Hyder then threw her to the ground and began punching her.

Hyder kept punching Moore even as more officers came to intervene. According to the arrest warrant for Hyder, Moore suffered a possible broken nose and busted lip.

“The family as well as the community is rather appreciative of how quickly our city officials responded to the events of last Friday,” said Ronald Haynes Jr., Moore’s attorney, although he lamented that Hyder is only charged with a misdemeanor.

“I definitely think he should be facing a felonious charge,” he said.

“It wasn’t like she was resisting,” Haynes went on to say. “This officer saw her and assumed she had something to do with the building catching on fire, which is curious because they didn’t charge her with arson.”

On the day of the arrest, Moore was charged with resisting a police officer, assaulting a government official, and breaking or entering. The first two charges have since been dropped, but she’s still facing the third. Meanwhile, Hyder was released on a $10,000 bond and was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday in Cleveland County Court in Shelby.

SEE ALSO:

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Ex-Cop Sentenced For Inhumane Abuse Of Suspect