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In March a Tennessee woman was arrested after officers stopped her for questioning about a report of domestic violence. Kesha Gray appeared in the video footage of her arrest to be distraught while officers tried to talk to her. Since the incident, the Memphis branch of the NAACP is calling for an expedited inquiry into her arrest according to Fox 13. President of the chapter wrote a letter to Sheriff Floyd Bonner regarding the incident.

“It appears that Ms. Gray was the victim of a crime and unfortunately it appears that she was victimized again for not participating in an investigating officer’s investigation,” Turner wrote.

However, there are different accounts of what happened when the officers confronted Gray. An affidavit says Gray’s fiancé called 911 to report a domestic violence incident between the pair according to the news station. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said officers were on the scene responding to witness who said the woman was being beaten up in what looked like a kidnapping in progress according to The Root.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said officers were responding to witness accounts that a woman was being beaten up in what looked like a kidnapping in progress. The office’s incident report claims the woman, who was later identified as Gray, was put in a headlock by a man who was “dragging the woman towards the vehicle, punching her and choking her.”

The video footage caught the attention of Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer who said it was unnecessary and that any charges against Gray should be dismissed. “It took me back to the first time I saw Sandra Bland,” Sawyer told Fox 13. “I think the force and language used and the lack of care was extreme.”

Retired county deputy and Fox 13 law enforcement analyst Mike Collins told the station law enforcement officials almost always say in situations like this everything the officers did was necessary. “This is one of the most serious calls a police officer can get in the line of duty,” Collins said. “The officer did what was necessary to deescalate the situation.”

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