A Bakersfield, Calif. police officer is under investigation for allegations he “played” with a dead body.
According to a trainee with senior officer Aaron Stringer, Stringer said he “loves playing with dead bodies” while playfully manipulating the bloody corpse of a man killed by police. The Bakersfield officer also allegedly turned the man’s head to watch it snap back to position, repeatedly tried to open the man’s mouth, and said “tickle, tickle” while touching the man’s feet, the Bakersfield Californian reports.
Stringer allegedly laughed while manipulating the body.
Police Chief Greg Williamson said he was “disturbed” by the comments, which weren’t made public until Friday, and that the officer has been on paid administrative leave since an investigation into the incident began in November.
The dead man, Ramiro James Villegas, was killed by police Nov. 13 after allegedly leading police on a chase that ended in a crash. Villegas, who is 22 years old, allegedly moved toward the officers while reaching for his waistband, prompting officers to fire at him. Villegas was unarmed.
High profile Los Angeles attorney Mark Geragos, who is representing the Villegas family in a claim filed against the city, said he heard the body was manipulated it but only now had it confirmed by Californian’s report. He is calling for Stringer to be fired and prosecuted.
“We are grossly disturbed by the ghoulish behavior of the police,” Geragos told The New York Daily News.
The Kern County coroner’s office had not given Stringer permission to touch the body. He has hired a lawyer and kept mum on the issue.
Follow Casey on Twitter and like him on Facebook
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.