Black teen reportedly has memory loss after being body-slammed by school deputy

A Black teenager who was body-slammed onto the floor by a school resource officer is now suffering memory loss, according to her mother.

In a video shared on Twitter by Attorney Ben Crump, Deputy Ethan Fournier can be seen throwing 16-year-old Taylor Bracey to the ground. He then handcuffs the high school student moments later.

Fournier was allegedly trying to put an end to a fight involving Bracey and another pupil t at Liberty High School in Kissimmee, Florida, per NBC News.

However, her family denies that she had even been part of any fight in the first place.

Warning: Distressing Content

Fournier is currently on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

Over the weekend, Bracey's mother Jamesha Bracey told WESH 2 that her daughter has been a shadow of her former self since the altercation.

"She [has been] very depressed since this happened. She’s not herself. She’s not Taylor," she said.

"[Taylor] is having trouble sleeping, and she’s having a problem remembering. […] We just wanted justice to be served and for [Fournier] to be charged – to be held accountable for what he’s done."

The slam is believed to have rendered the teenager unconscious, however, at a news conference last week, Osceola County Sheriff Marco Lopez said, per Insider that the pair did not sustain any substantial injuries.

He also explained that Fournier, a 10-year veteran of the department, "does not have a history of misconduct."

Lopez continued:

"We… have made the decision to turn this investigation over as criminal to the Department of Florida Law Enforcement.

"We’re going to allow them to take over this investigation and work with our state attorney’s office to make sure this is completely independent of our agency… complete transparency."

Credit: PA Images

Attorney Benjamin Crump is representing the Bracey family. The lawyer has previously represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Jacob Blake.

Speaking to WESH 2 last week, he said: "I am just angry that a trained professional, adult man feels that he has the right to pick up and slam a young Black girl."

He added: "He is supposed to use the minimum force necessary. They don't do this to other people's children. Why do they feel like it’s okay to do it to our children?"