A Bakersfield Police officer is no longer with the department after bizarre allegations that he tickled the feet of a man who was fatally shot by police last November. Bakersfield Police spokesman Sgt. Joe Grubbs confirmed Officer Aaron Stringer’s departure Tuesday but did not specify whether or not it was voluntary.
The case involves the 2014 death of Ramiro James Villegas, who was shot during an altercation with police after being pulled over. In a June lawsuit, his family not only claimed that his shooting was unjustified, but also that Stringer had tickled his feet as he lay dead on a gurney, even telling another officer that he “loves playing with dead bodies.”
In addition to the emotional trauma it caused, the family claims that the “desecration” of Villegas’ body compromised evidence and made an accurate autopsy impossible. Their attorney, Mark Geragos, reacted defiantly to the announcement Tuesday.
"The secret removal of one BPD cop ... does not solve the structural and institutional problems with this department," Geragos said. "The fundamental issues involving the lack of training, the improper use of force, and the manipulation of evidence by BPD must be fixed to restore order and confidence in the Police Department."
Read more about the allegations against the officer and the Bakersfield Police Department here.
Image Credit: Flickr User bensutherland, https://flic.kr/p/NNAqi via (CC BY 2.0)