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New Bodycam Footage More Damaging To Asheville Police

photo of Chris Hickman conversing with other officers, johnnie rush is handcuffed in the background
City of Asheville

Asheville resident Johnnie Jermaine Rush was walking home from work on Aug. 24, 2017 when he was stopped by police for jaywalking. Rush felt he was being harassed and ran away to avoid arrest. Bodycam video of the incident was leaked to the Asheville Citizen Times in February 2018, and it went viral. 

A second round of footage released Monday shows that Officer Chris Hickman choked Rush, repeatedly punched him in the head, and then tasered him. Officer Hickman resigned in January before the footage was leaked, and City Manager Gary Jackson was fired in the aftermath of the initial release. Days after the release of this more damning footage, subpoenas were issued and the Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Edwards wants answers. Asheville Citizen Times City Reporter Joel Burgess has been following this story since the beginning. He joins host Frank Stasio to shed more light on the controversy that has forced Asheville into a national discussion about African-Americans and police misconduct.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsEtGUr380k

 

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Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
Dana is an award-winning producer who began as a personality at Rock 92. Once she started creating content for morning shows, she developed a love for producing. Dana has written and produced for local and syndicated commercial radio for over a decade. WUNC is her debut into public radio and she’s excited to tell deeper, richer stories.
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