FILE PHOTO: An elderly man falls after appearing to be shoved by riot police during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Buffalo, New York, U.S. June 4, 2020 in this still image taken from video. WBFO/via REUTERS
(Reuters) – All 57 members of a police tactical unit in Buffalo, New York, have resigned from that team to protest the suspension of two colleagues who were filmed shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground, local media reported on Friday.
Two members of the Buffalo Police Department’s Emergency Response Team were suspended on Thursday and are being investigated after a local radio station released video of the incident involving the protester.
Local media quoted Buffalo Police Benevolent Association President John Evans as saying the officers were simply doing their job, and that their colleagues on the response team had resigned from the special unit in protest at their treatment. The 57 remain police officers, local media said. Evans could not be reached for comment.
Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Daniel Wallis