A day after a woman posted photos and a description on Facebook claiming assault by Delaware State Police troopers, the state agency issued a statement addressing the accusations.
In the post, the woman − who wrote it on behalf of her sister − said her 15-year-old nephew and his friends were pranking residents with “ding-dong ditch” before the reported assault occurred. It’s not exactly clear where the teens were playing the game, where kids run up to a person’s home and ring the doorbell, then “ditch” before someone answers.
The prank has been performed by kids, usually pre-teens and teens, for decades.
According to the woman, the boys unknowingly targeted a home owned by a state trooper. He “was not home at the time, but he was made aware by other family members in the home,” she wrote.
Ring footage, the post said, showed the boys knock on the door and run off.
The woman said as the boys walked home, two troopers stopped them. The teens were not carrying weapons, she said, emphasizing in the post the word “unarmed.”
“The two state troopers arrested my nephews (sic) friends, then beat the living hell out of nephew,” the post said. “My nephew currently has a concussion, needs surgery to repair severe eye damage (as the cops stomped on him and kicked him multiple times).”
She added that he is “covered in bruises, scrapes and scratches up and down his entire body.”
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“I assume that their senses kicked in and they did call an ambulance,” she said before claiming that her nephew’s mother wasn’t told “of the beating that occurred.”
“Internal Affairs and Detectives are currently involved, but refuse to share any information with my sister regarding the two state troopers who ASSULTED AND ALMOST KILLED my fifteen year old nephew,” the post said. “All four boys have consistent stories about the events that occurred last night and any false reporting by any local news outlets about this being an attempted break in by juveniles is completely false.”
Since the post was made on Tuesday, it’s garnered more than 500 shares and several hundred comments. It wasn’t until midday Wednesday, however, that state police publicly commented on it.
What state police are doing
In a tweet, the agency said it “became aware of the incident through an internal body-worn camera review” on Tuesday and “immediately” initiated an investigation in conjunction with the Delaware Department of Justice and the agency’s office of professional responsibility.
The trooper accused of assault has also been suspended, the agency said. It did not detail whether the suspension was with pay or without.
Notably, the message was tweeted out and posted on the state police Facebook page only on Wednesday afternoon − police did not issue a press release via email or through their website’s newsroom page.
When asked by Delaware Online/The News Journal, state police spokesperson Sgt. India Sturgis said the agency “responded to a social media post by using our social media channels.”
“This ongoing investigation is in collaboration with the Department of Justice, so we don’t have the information that would typically be in a news release,” Sturgis said. “Our goal is to let the public know that we are aware of the incident and that we took immediate action by suspending the trooper.”
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State police said in the social media post that it is also investigating “whether or not there was any failure to intervene by other DSP personnel who were present at the time of the incident.”
“We assure you a comprehensive investigation is underway and we are examining all available evidence,” the statement reads.
This is a developing story. Return to delawareonline.com for updates.
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