FBI Taking Over Investigation Into Confrontation Between Officer and Ole Miss Fan
OXFORD, MS (WCBI)- New details tonight on the Saturday altercation between a fan and a police officer during the Ole Miss LSU football game.
A video of the altercation between fan Chris Barnes and officers at the stadium Saturday has gone viral. Ole Miss Police Chief Tim Potts says the officers in the video are not University or Oxford Police but rather certified police officers from other departments hired on a temporary basis. One of those officers is a member of the New Albany Police Department. New Albany Chief Chris Robertson says his officer was not on duty for the city at the time but has been placed on administrative leave with pay during the school’s investigation. The FBI is now in charge of that probe.. Ole Miss Chief Tim Potts says that decision was made to show the University is taking the situation very seriously. Potts adds anyone who might have other video or other information about the incident in the stands to contact Ole Miss police. Late this afternoon, the Lafayette County Sheriffs department issued a statement saying the incident with Mr. Chris Barnes at the Lafayette County detention center is under investigation therefore the Lafayette County Sheriffs department has no comment. That is the first mention of a possible separate incident at the detention center involving Barnes and officers.
BELOW ARE THE STATEMENTS FROM NEW ALBANY POLICE, UNIVERSITY POLICE AND LAFAYETTE COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT
Statement from UM Regarding Stadium Incident
The University of Mississippi Police Department has asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent investigation of the incident involving a temporary officer and a fan during the Ole Miss-LSU football game on Nov. 21. FBI officials arrived on campus this afternoon to begin their review. No additional information will be available until the investigation is complete.
“We do not tolerate violent behavior on our campus, and our request for an independent FBI investigation should make it clear that we are taking this situation very seriously,” UPD Chief Tim Potts said.
Witnesses with information that would be beneficial to the investigation are encouraged to contact either the UPD, which is continuing its investigation, or the FBI office in Oxford. Contact UPD at either 662-915-7234 or upd@olemiss.edu.
NEW ALBANY POLICE
From the office of the Chief,
“I have been informed by the University of Mississippi Police Department that they are investigating an incident said to have involved a New Albany police officer at the football game on Saturday. The officer was not on duty with our department on Saturday and was employed at the time by the University’s police department. I have no direct knowledge of what happened there and make no judgment about it one way or the other at this time.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave with pay for the time being. We will review the matter as more information becomes available. Any inquiries about the investigation of the incident should be directed to the University of Mississippi.”
LAFAYETTE COUNTY SHERIFF
On 11-23-2015 The incident with Mr. Chris Barnes at the Lafayette County Detention Center is under investigation therefore The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department has no comment at this time. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Leave a Reply