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A security guard is facing charges for pointing his firearm at uniformed Black Ohio sheriff’s deputy. On May 31 Lucas County Sheriff Deputy Alan Gaston went into a Toledo IRS office to inquire about a letter he got in the mail. Surveillance video displayed the officer with his gun and badge in clear sight, but before Gaston could talk to someone he was confronted by Seth Eklund, an armed security guard who told him he could not enter the office with a gun and asked him to put the gun in his car. However, Gaston declined because he was still on duty and decided to leave the building instead. Then as the officer walked out, Eklund followed him with his firearm drawn.

“[I was] basically preparing myself to be shot at that moment. Bracing for a shot in my back,” Gaston said. “There’s really no way to know how you’re going to act when there’s a gun pointed at you and when you think you’re going to lose your life.”

When Gaston was trying to enter the elevator to leave the building the security officer, who is white can be seen attempting to grab his arm to take him into custody. Seeing the incident, a employee in the office called 911 and told the operator that someone had a gun, but failed to mention that the armed person was a sheriff’s deputy. Then when Toledo police officers arrived to the scene, Eklund could be heard saying, “he’s got a gun and he won’t leave.”

“I would say his training is lagging,” Gaston said. “You went from zero to 100, lethal force. It’s unacceptable.”

Eklund has been charged with aggravated menacing and plead not guilty last week. The security officer will have a scheduled court date in the future court date. Gaston, who has been on medical leave, filed a lawsuit against the disgraced security guard claiming he suffered emotional and psychological distress as a result of the incident according to CBS 13.

The incident is just one of several similar Black officers have been faced with racism among their peers. Earlier this year, a Black Detroit officer who had a gun pointed at him facility to provide officers with diversity training after a white colleague questioned why he had a large amount of money on his person.

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