San Antonio School District Fires Officer Who Allegedly Body-Slammed Student

Officer Joshua Kehm was terminated over the video.

ByABC News
April 11, 2016, 3:02 PM

— -- A Texas school police officer who was caught on video appearing to body slam a female student has been fired, with school officials calling his alleged actions "absolutely unwarranted."

Officer Joshua Kehm, of the San Antonio School District, was placed on paid administrative leave when the video of the incident, at Rhodes Middle School on March 29, was circulated online. The district spokesperson confirmed today that he had been terminated.

"We understand that situations can sometimes escalate to the point of requiring a physical response; however, in this situation we believe that the extent of the response was absolutely unwarranted," superintendent Pedro Martinez said in a statement.

"Additionally, the officer’s report was inconsistent with the video and it was also delayed, which is not in accordance with the general operating procedures of the police department. We want to be clear that we will not tolerate this behavior," Martinez said.

Kehm had been employed by the school district since February 2015, according to school district spokeswoman Leslie Price.

The administrative investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The Combined The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas reiterated that they will continue representing Kehm.

"It’s important to point out that Officer Kehm has promised to cooperate with the department’s investigation. However, CLEAT is concerned that the department acted before it has had time to fully evaluate all of the facts in the matter," said CLEAT Executive Director Charley Wilkison.