The attorney for former McKinney police officer Eric Casebolt on Wednesday said that “he apologizes to all who were offended” by his actions while responding to a complaint at a pool party in McKinney, Texas.
Attorney Jane Bushkin said that Casebolt “regrets” that his actions reflected poorly on the McKinney Police Department.
Casebolt resigned on Tuesday amid a police department investigation into his actions near a community pool, where video showed him slamming a 14-year-old girl onto the ground and drawing his gun to chase away other teenagers.
In a press conference Wednesday, Bushkin said Casebolt resigned “with a heavy heart,” but hoped his resignation would facilitate greater cooperation in the community.
Bushkin told reporters that the video did not show all of Casebolt’s actions and said, “His actions were only in attempt to investigate the reports of violent assaults.”
“He was not targeting minorities,” she added, noting that he also detained a white female near the community pool on Friday.
Bushkin claimed that prior to the call about a “disturbance” at the community pool, Casebolt had responded to two suicide calls that “took an emotional toll” on him.
“He allowed his emotions to get the better of him,” she said.
When asked if other officers who responded to the call at the community pool also responded to the earlier suicide calls, Bushkin would not say.
Bushkin said that Casebolt would address the media in the near future, when it is safe to do so. She said that he has received numerous death threats and is currently in an undisclosed location.
After Casebolt resigned on Tuesday, McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley called Casebolt’s actions “indefensible.” Before his resignation, Casebolt was on administrative leave while the police department investigated his actions.
On Tuesday, Conley did not yet know whether Casebolt would face criminal charges, and Bushkin said on Wednesday that she was unaware of additional investigations into Casebolt’s actions.
