ATLANTA (AP) – A Black man who was pinned down and repeatedly punched by a white Georgia sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop that was caught on video said Friday that he couldn’t breathe and lost consciousness during the arrest.
“I was scared. I feared for my life, and I just pray, just hope that it don’t happen to nobody else,” Roderick Walker told reporters at his lawyer’s office, his left eye still bloodshot.
The deputy seen repeatedly hitting Walker was fired for “excessive use of force,” according to a statement Sunday from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. He was later identified as Brandon Myers.
Shean Williams, an attorney for Walker, told reporters Friday that Myers was hired by the sheriff’s office in November 2019. In less than a year, Myers was involved in five other use of force incidents during traffic stops, Williams said.
“He should have been fired before last Friday is my point,” Williams said.