57 Officers Quit Special Team After 2 Cops Get Sacked for Shoving A 75-Year-Old Protester

• 57 police officers in Buffalo, New York, tendered their resignation, expressing their support to two of their comrades.
• The two officers faced suspension for pushing a 75-year-old protester.

A total of 57 police officers in Buffalo, New York tendered their resignations this week after when two of their comrades faced suspension and investigation for “merely doing their jobs”.

A video which went viral online showed that the two officers shoved a 75-year-old peace activist to the ground. As a result, the protester, Martin Gugino, sustained a crack in his head. He is now in stable condition, reports said.

“Fifty-seven resigned in disgust because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders,” Buffalo Police Benevolent Association president John Evans said in a CNN report.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, on the other hand, told CNN that the 57 officers made up the entire active emergency response unit.

Martin Gugino was hospitalized but is now in stable condition.

The viral showed a row of officers walking towards Gugino with two of them shoving him. He ended up hitting his head to the pavement and started bleeding. While he was lying on the ground, some police officers just walked past him.

The demonstration in Niagara Square is in line with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. His death sparked widespread protests against police brutality towards Black Americans.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo said the officers should be fired

In a press briefing, Cuomo said that Buffalo police chief should fire the two police officials. He also called on the prosecutors to move “fairly but quickly.”

“When I saw the video, I got sick to my stomach. I would encourage the district attorney not to do what happened in Minneapolis, which the delay itself caused issues,” Cuomo said.

This incident is wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful.

I've spoken with Buffalo @MayorByronBrown and we agree that the officers involved should be immediately suspended pending a formal investigation.

Police Officers must enforce — NOT ABUSE — the law. https://t.co/EYIbTlXnPt

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 5, 2020

“People don’t want vaguery. They are (also) upset and want answers,” he added.

Officers should face due process, Mayor Brown said.

Contrary to Cuomo’s suggestion, Brown said he want his two police officers to get “due process”.

“I am not calling for them to be fired,” Brown specified.

The Mayor also said that police officers asked Gugino to leave the premise numerous times. They were reportedly following orders to clear the area before fights broke out among the demonstrators.

The Erie County DA’s Office continues to investigate the incident captured on video outside City Hall that resulted in the injury of protester. The victim was taken to ECMC to be treated for a head injury. He was unable to provide a statement to investigators last night.

— Erie County DA (@DAErieCountyNY) June 5, 2020