Bodycam Video Shows Officer Threatening Teen Trying To Leave Campus

William’s mother, Nedra Miller, was obviously upset by the interaction.  She shared the explicit video on Facebook in January. “River Ridge High School Ms. Bond and School Resource Officer threatening to shoot my son for trying to go to an orthodontist appointment after dropping of Another student who missed the bus,” she wrote.

The video made its way around the internet, many sharing in the mom and teen's anger over what occurred. It has over 95,000 views on Facebook and has gone viral on Twitter. The account has since been reported on by dozens of news outlets.

Nedra told the Tampa Bay Times that she even had called the school to excuse her son’s absence in advance. Regardless, the school suspended William from December 17 to January 9, his mother said. Then, River Ridge High School expelled him permanently.

It's a shocking turn of events, especially because while the teen definitely seems agitated in the video, he isn't being overly aggressive. He's repeatedly trying to relay that he has a legitimate reason to leave and the two adults seem set on holding him no matter what and with no real reason. The Washington Post reported that those individuals have faced few repercussions from the event.

A spokesman from the school district told the outlet that it is not investigating the incident. And while the sheriff’s office opened an internal review to determine whether the deputy violated any policies, he has not even been suspended. Currently, he's still on duty at the school.

It's definitely unsettling to see a video like this. Officers are supposed to be on school campuses to protect students, but videos like this are what lead so many to question whether armed officers belong on school campuses at all. This incident was pretty frightening to watch and at times, it felt close to escalating further.

Having trained officers on campus to keep students and teachers safe could have many benefits, as long as those officers are clear about their roles there. But when those officers use unnecessary force or threats, it may cause more harm than good. After the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, lawmakers voted to allow teachers to carry guns at school, too.

It's upsetting that any officer is a position like this would threaten a student leaving campus with a legitimate purpose. It appears to be an abuse of power, but since the school district is not investigating to find out exactly why the officer acted this way, it seems like this case may simply get passed over without any real consequences for those abuses of power. At the very least, bodycam videos like this one allow the public to witness and draw their own conclusions.

It will be interesting to see if the school decides to look into the event further after all of the media attention the story has since attracted. Regardless of this school district's particular actions, it leads to even more questions about who should be able to carry guns on school campuses. If even a few abuse their power or turn to unnecessary violence, it's frightening to imagine what could happen if there were even more guns allowed in schools.