The Syracuse Police Department expects to release the results of an investigation into a forceful arrest caught on video by the end of next week, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and Police Chief Kenton Buckner announced in a joint statement Friday afternoon.

Shaolin Moore, 23, of Syracuse, was grabbed by his neck and pulled from a vehicle by SPD officer Christopher Buske during a traffic stop on May 31. A viral video posted to Instagram shows Buske threatening to spray Moore with pepper spray before pulling him from the vehicle. The officer then strikes Moore with a closed fist, and several officers hold him down on the ground.

The investigation is the “highest priority” of SPD’s Office of Professional Standards, Walsh and Buckner said in their statement. Investigators have examined information concerning the case and interviewed individuals involved.

Moore was charged with resisting arrest and a sound reproduction violation, which refers to playing music too loudly. Buske said in a report filed in court papers that he thought Moore had a handgun because he was “reaching for his waistband,” according to Syracuse.com.

The video sparked outcry from members of the Syracuse community, with many viewing the officer’s actions as police brutality. Common Council President Helen Hudson has condemned the arrest as an “excessive” use of force. Following the video’s publication, Buckner said the officers involved remain on duty but under investigation.

“The conversation that has occurred in Syracuse over the last week involves a concern being discussed in communities around the country, but this incident happened in our city,” the joint statement from Buckner and Walsh reads.

Documents detailing SPD’s policies on use of force, body cameras and the city’s sound reproduction ordinance will be released with the results of the investigation. Buckner has updated the department’s use of force policy since the beginning of his tenure in December 2018, but the new guidelines have not been publicly released.

About 100 people rallied outside City Hall on Wednesday for a silent protest against police brutality. Emma Folts | Asst. News Editor

In the days after the video’s release, Walsh and Buckner spoke with community members “holding wildly different views,” to hear their concerns surrounding the incident, according to their statement. Once the investigation is published, community forums will be held regarding the use of force by police.

“We will continue to provide assistance and training to our officers, who have an immensely difficult job to do, one that sometimes involves the use of force,” Buckner and Walsh said in the statement.

A silent protest was held Wednesday evening at City Hall in downtown Syracuse, where organizers urged the officers to be immediately placed on administrative leave and for the results of the investigation to be published by the end of this week.

Walsh and Buckner did not state whether the officers have been placed on administrative leave.

“While ensuring that all matters occur within the bounds of law and due process, it is a conversation we must have and one in which we intend to fully engage,” the statement reads.

Published on June 7, 2019 at 5:53 pm

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