An officer who took out his gun during a confrontation with a black man picking up trash outside his Colorado dorm has quit but can still earn $69,000.
In this undated photo provided by lawyer Siddhartha Rathod, Zayd Atkinson poses for a photo. Atkinson was picking up trash outside his dormitory when a white police officer in Boulder, Colo., detained him in March, 2019. The officer, John Smyly, resigned this week under an agreement with city officials who found he had violated department policies.
“Boulder is essentially saying we’re going to pay this officer and let him resign for threatening Zayd’s life, for racially profiling Zayd,” said Atkinson’s attorney, Siddhartha Rathod. “If you or I were to do this, we would be criminally charged. We would immediately lose our jobs.” Smyly asked for Atkinson’s date of birth. Atkinson refused, then picked up the bucket and tool and walked away.He then told Atkinson that he was obstructing a police officer, “a jailable offense.” Smyly later told Atkinson that he was being detained for trespassing.
Smyly drew his gun when the two men reached the back of the building, an investigative summary said. On the video, Atkinson responds by shouting: “That’s a gun! I’m picking up trash! I’m picking up trash, and you’re holding a gun!”One officer can be seen holding a rifle; the investigative summary says the weapon fires bean bags.
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