Mississippi officer fired after excessive force complaint

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A Mississippi police officer has been fired after being accused of using excessive force against a 19-year-old basketball player.

Interim Jackson Police Chief Anthony Moore said officer Vincent Lampkin was fired after an “extensive investigation,” and asked citizens not to judge the entire department by “one bad actor.”

John Knight III told authorities that the officer pulled him over in May and attacked him as he got out of his vehicle. He said the officer handcuffed and punched him, put a gun to his head, threw his phone into the grass when he asked to call his father, and then ultimately let him go without charges.

Knight, a standout point guard, was pulled over and beaten only a week after Utah State signed him to a scholarship.

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