All 57 officers of the Buffalo Police Emergency Response Team resigned on Friday in solidarity with the two cops who were suspended and later arrested for shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground during a protest.

A police union representative said that officers do not believe they did anything wrong, as they were just following the orders Deputy Police Commissioner Joe Gramaglia, who told them to clear the area.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement that he “is aware of developments related to the work assignments of certain members of the Buffalo police force.”

“At this time, we can confirm that contingency plans are in place to maintain police services and ensure public safety within our community,” Brown added, according to Fox News.

He later added, “I was deeply disturbed by the video, as was Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood. He directed an immediate investigation into the matter, and the two officers have been suspended without pay.”

This came after the Erie County District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation into the incident, which was captured on camera and quickly went viral. Governor Andrew Cuomo also spoke out about the video, calling it “utterly disgraceful.”

New Tonight: Disturbing video from @WBFO in Buffalo, NY shows an elderly man walk up to police in riot gear. An officer shoves the man…he falls backwards, hits his head…starts bleeding immediately…motionless.
Why did this happen @BPDAlerts ?
https://t.co/qbTvXAAPLH

— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) June 5, 2020

The man who was pushed has since been identified as Martin Gugino, who is known for being a peace activist.

He remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

Kelly Zarcone, Gugino’s attorney, described him to reporters as “a longtime peaceful protester, human rights advocate and overall fan of the U.S. Constitution for many years.”

“He appreciates all of the well wishes he has received and requests that any further protests continue to be peaceful,” Zarcone said. 

Anti-police sentiments are at an all-time high after the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota last week.

This piece was written by PoliZette Staff on June 6, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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