The attorneys for Christopher Shaw, a Black man in Texas who was left with permanent injuries from the chest down following an arrest, have issued a statement after the video was released this week.
Footage obtained by Atlanta Black Star shows Beaumont police Officer James Gillen bringing Shaw into the Jefferson County Correctional Facility. Shaw, who is sporting a black tank top, was arrested for public intoxication.
In the video, the officer appears to choke the 42-year-old before flipping and slamming Shaw on the concrete while he is handcuffed. His attorneys said the incident left him with a broken neck and paralyzed him “for the rest of his life.”
The release of surveillance footage comes after Shaw pleaded guilty to assaulting a peace officer during the summer and received probation, KFDM reported.
“Mr. Shaw was threatened with 20+ years behind bars despite being paralyzed by Beaumont Police Officer James Thomas Gillen,” his attorneys said in a statement on Wednesday. “Considering his current condition, Mr. Shaw felt that it was in his best interest to receive a deferred prosecution sentence, which will eventually result in all charges being dismissed completely.”
Last July, Shaw — who is represented by civil rights attorneys Chance Lynch, Harry Daniels, and Ben Crump — filed a lawsuit against the officer, the city of Beaumont, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and CorrHealth, the jail’s medical contractor.
Before Gillen took Shaw into custody on June 12, 2021, he was transported to a local hospital “due to signs of impairment,” the filing alleges. After being discharged, he was sent to jail. At one point, while other officers “had complete control” over Shaw, Gillen “body slammed” him, causing him “to land on his head.”
“As such, Mr. Shaw lacked the ability to brace for impact as his head was slammed into a concrete floor with the full body weight of Defendant Gillen landing…
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