GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Four Greensboro City Council members announce Wednesday they support the city manager's decision in the Jose Charles case.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan along with Marikay Abuzuaiter, Nancy Hoffman, and Justin Outling agree police officers did nothing wrong while arresting the teen during a downtown Fourth of July event last year.
"In this case, city council carefully reviewed the actual evidence and made a determination that the findings of the chief of police as well as the city manager were correct,” Outling said.
Tamara Figueroa, Jose Charles’ mom, claims police used “excessive force” and treated her son as a suspect after he was beaten up by kids. Jose Charles is currently charged with assaulting an officer.
Council watched body camera footage of the incident during closed sessions since Monday.
This case is drawing community attention. More than 100 people interrupted city council’s meeting on Tuesday to rally for Jose Charles. This action forced council to adjourn early. Police eventually closed the building down but that didn’t stop activists from taking their cries for justice to the streets.
Outling said the officers involved in Jose Charles case did not violate the law or departmental policies.
"I respect the concerns that have been raised by the public; the reality is the public was not able to see the evidence in the case.”
The decision disagrees with the Greensboro Police Community Review Board’s determination that officers did not follow protocol. The board is an independent committee consisting of community members who reviewed the videos in this case.
Council member Sharon Hightower said she doesn’t fully support the city manager’s decision. "Some council agrees with it, I just don't particularly don't agree with all of it.”
However, Outling said there is enough overwhelming support among council members.