SPD officer fired; Fraser, Merritt and Anthony all speak on unity through dialogue, trust and prayers

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

Shelby City Manager Justin Merritt speaks Saturday morning at the podium in council chambers addressing Friday's incident. Fraser announced the officer had been fired. | Video still City of Shelby video

Shelby – The City of Shelby posted an updated video statement Saturday morning in regard to the Friday morning incident of an officer seen on a viral video, circulating social media, repeatedly punching a female suspect.

“As of 8:30 this morning, the officer involved in this incident has been terminated from employment by this police department,” stated Chief Brad Fraser at the beginning of the video statement that went out across social media Saturday morning.

Fraser also noted that the finding of their investigation has been handed over to the State Bureau of Investigations to begin an inquiry into any possible criminal violations. He noted this step was being taken to show transparency, accountability and public confidence in their actions as a government agency.

“As I stated yesterday, community trust is the foundation of effective policing,” said Fraser, noting the officers and telecommunicators and leadership of the SPD are “committed to maintain and strengthen that trust every day.”

“Our agency is guided by the core values of honesty, teamwork, integrity, professionalism and respect. We hold ourselves accountable to those standards. As a life-ling resident of this community, I care deeply about the residents we serve and the reputation of this department.”

Fraser firmly stated that while the actions of the fired officer does not reflect the values of the SPD, it reinforces the importance of holding themselves, “to the highest standards of conduct.”

“As we move forward, our commitment to The City of Shelby remains unchanged, to protect our community with courage and serve our community with compassion.”

City of Shelby Manager Justin Merritt took to the podium next, noting the difficult hours Shelby has faced since the Friday morning incident, noting it has “strained the fabric of trust,” but also spoke with hope on restoring trust and faith within the Shelby community. He also thanked Chief Fraser and his team for their professionalism in the past 24 hours of their “Complete and expedient investigation of this incident.”

(City manager and mayor comments continued below...)

“I would also like to thank the community for the support we have received during this difficult time,” said Merritt. “I want to thank the people in this room, who have brought forth their concerns, offered counsel and stood with us ready to work together for the greater common good.”

Merritt continued, “While yesterday’s incident was disturbing, and is still raw and difficult to understand, today marks the beginning of a path forward to repair the damage that has been done. This is a path we must walk together, hand-in-hand, unified with the common goal of understanding, supporting each other and strengthening the fabric of a community we hold so dear.”

Merritt added that he and his staff are committed to working every day to improve their ability to govern and working together with the residents for the greater good of everyone in Shelby.

Shelby Mayor Stan Anthony provided closing remarks, speaking on unity and prayer, as he stood at the podium to address those in attendance and watching online. He noted how Shelby should be an example to follow during a tragedy by working through dialogue and respect.

“This has been a very difficult time in our community,” noted Anthony. “I just want to lay my heart and thanks for all those that have come together – those in this room. This is an example of how a community can move forward when we have a terrible situation arise, by taking responsibility; we engage in dialogue and we try to come to solutions that result in the best outcome.”

Anthony also too a moment to thank all the representatives, clergy and pastors for their dialogue and he asked for prayers, adding, “The prayer we have shared together have been very close to my heart and I am very grateful for those prayers and I ask the community to look up and pray for our community and look to guidance from our Lord and how we can move forward as a community…”

Follow The Shelby Independent on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. To contact Chuck about a story idea, send an email or visit the contact page.

Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.