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The University of Mississippi Police Department has asked the FBI to conduct an independent investigation of an incident between a temporary officer and a fan during last Saturday’s Ole Miss-LSU football game.
In the incident, the fan, Chris Barnes, was punched in the face by the officer during the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The incident was captured on video and posted on Facebook by Barnes’ wife, Holly.
“My husband, a two time Veteran of the US Army National Guard, was wrongfully assaulted on campus during the Ole Miss vs LSU game by a POLICE OFFICER. He was hit twice in the face and then arrested. THEY DID NOT GIVE HIM MEDICAL ATTENTION,” Holly Barnes posted on Facebook.
“He was diagnosed with a concussion, fractures to his orbital wall and maxillary sinus and contusions to the tissues of his eyes. This all stemmed because the officers thought he did something that someone a few rows up did and blamed him and his friends,” she added.
RELATED: Video: Ole Miss security officer bashes in fan’s face, family claims assault
The University of Mississippi Police Department says it is taking Holly Barnes’ post and video seriously. It asked anyone who saw the incident to contact them for details.
“We do not tolerate violent behavior on our campus, and our request for an independent FBI investigation should make it clear that we are taking this situation very seriously,” campus police chief Tim Potts said.
In the video, two policemen appear to be talking to Barnes in an aisle. Suddenly, one of the officers punches Barnes in the face. Barnes went down to the ground. A few seconds later, he stood up and continued talking to the policeman, who then punched him again. The video does not indicate what was being said between Barnes and the officer, or why the officer punched him.
According to Holly Barnes’ post, the officers thought her husband had done something that was actually done by another fan.
Another person on Facebook said he was next to Barnes at the game. The person claimed that Barnes was shouting profanities, people had asked him to stop and the officers came to ask him to calm down.
“He was restrained and still fighting security. They tried to manage it without altercation. He kept pulling loose and fighting with them,” the commenter posted.
But another person, who was reportedly at the game with Barnes, said that comment is wrong.
Now the Ole Miss campus police department has asked the FBI to step in and conduct its own independent probe of the incident.
