INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis police sergeant has been formally indicted for excessive force.
On Wednesday, the United States Department of Justice returned a federal grand jury’s indictment of Sergeant Eric Huxley with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Sgt. Huxley, a 15-year veteran of the force, and two other officers were attempting to arrest a homeless man on Monument Circle named Jermaine Vaughn, 38, on September 24th, 2021.
The federal grand jury found that Sgt. Huxley violated Vaughn’s civil rights through the use of excessive force which resulted in bodily harm and involved the use of a deadly weapon.
Body cam footage shows what appears to be Sgt. Huxley stomping on Vaughn’s face, after Vaughn had already been handcuffed and taken to the ground by the other officers involved, Matthew Shores and Christopher Bibbey.
Blood can be seen filling Vaughn’s mouth. He’s repeatedly told to roll over several times, but yells back at the officers that he physically could not.
The incident seemed to be a step too far for Officer Shores and Officer Bibbey, who reported Sgt. Huxley to IMPD for his conduct. Huxley remains suspended without pay, and his firing has been recommended by IMPD Chief Randal Taylor. That can only be decided by the IMPD Civilian Police Merit Board once the criminal process is said and done.
IMPD’s statement, released Wednesday:
Today, Sergeant Eric Huxley, a 15-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), was indicted on a federal charge of excessive force. This stems from an internal use of force investigation. When Chief Randal Taylor learned about the September 24, 2021 incident on Monument Circle, he ordered an expedited internal affairs and criminal investigation. The criminal investigation was investigated by the IMPD Special Investigation Units. This led to formal charges by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office in October of 2021. IMPD also proactively shared information about this incident with the FBI and the US Attorney’s Office.
Sgt. Huxley remains suspended without pay pending a recommendation of termination to the IMPD Civilian Police Merit Board. The Civilian Police Merit Board only reviews an officer’s status once the criminal process is completed.
Chief Randal Taylor stated, “This incident was unnecessary and should have never occurred. I would not tolerate this behavior from any community member; Sergeant Huxley is no exception. As law enforcement officers, we must understand that this behavior violates the community’s trust. We have confidence the judicial system will bring justice to Mr. Vaughn and his family.”
Nearly a year later, this case is still being investigated by our local and federal partners.
Sergeant Huxley, as with anyone charged with a crime, is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Officer Shores and Officer Bibbey are suing IMPD, claiming they were improperly retaliated against for reporting the incident.
