No Jail Time for Two Cops Who Assaulted Black Trans Woman on Video

Two former police officers in Missouri will serve no time in jail for the 2019 assault of a Black transgender woman that was caught on video.

Former Kansas City Police Officers Matthew, Brummett, 39, and Charles Prichard, 50, received suspended prison sentences and will instead serve three years of unsupervised probation after pleading guilty to their assault on Breona Hill during an arrest that took place May 24, 2019. The Kansas City Star reported the pair were also ordered to surrender their licenses. Both Brummett and Prichard left the police force last December after being placed on administrative leave.

In the video, recorded by Roderick Reed, Brummett and Prichard can be seen placing a knee on the neck of Hill, who was handcuffed, slamming her head onto the concrete, and pulling her hands above her head. Reed was later charged and convicted for failing to obey the officers' command to stop filming and leave, but he was subsequently pardoned by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.

"God help me," Hill cried out, the paper reports.

Interim Kansas City Police Chief Joseph Mabin said the conduct of the two officers was unacceptable.

"I expect our officers to treat all those they come into contact with on a daily basis with dignity and respect," Mabin said in the statement.

A spokesperson for the victim's family, Rena Childs, issued a statement that was read by attorney David Smith. Childs decried the culture of the local police department and prosecutor's office, and called for reform.

"But today is beginning to smell like justice," Childs said in the statement. "These two officers will never be able to be police officers again."

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker also said that the case has helped uphold justice.

"I think far too often, people like Breona see the system actually working against them instead of for them. So I'm standing here for here. I wish she could be here today. ... She deserved the protections of the system and she deserved fair and just treatment," Baker said.

Five months after her assault, Hill was shot to death on October 14. Allan Robinson was charged with a felony count of unlawful use of a weapon but received diversion because prosecutors believed Robinson acted in self-defense.

Video of the assault from the Star can be seen below. Some viewers may find the video upsetting.