Royse City police officer fired after viral violent pool confrontation, department says

The officer involved in a viral confrontation with a Black family in Royse City has been fired, the department announced in a news release Monday.

The officer, who has not been publicly named, was being investigated for excessive force after body camera and dash camera footage showed him pulling a woman by the hair and other officers pushing a woman who was holding a child. An officer was also seen punching a young woman in the face multiple times.

Internal Affairs said the officer who had been on administrative leave since the incident "did violate department standards, policies and procedures" and was terminated, the department said.

The actions of three other officers seen in the video were found to be justified, according to officials.

One of the alleged victims, an 18-year-old who was arrested at the scene, will not be facing charges, Royse City Police said. The department said it will refer the case of a second woman who was taken into custody for interfering to the Collin County District Attorney's Office.

"Today's announcement confirms that serious misconduct occurred and that the family's and community's concerns were warranted.
Terminating this officer is an important step, but it cannot be the final step," Next Generation Action Network said in a statement. "NGAN remains deeply concerned that the department has announced its intention to refer criminal charges against a 35-year-old woman involved in the encounter while simultaneously acknowledging that the conduct of one of its own officers violated departmental standards to such a degree that termination was warranted."   

Royse City Police is also investigating an unidentified third suspect who allegedly struck an officer in the face.

NGAN, who has been advocating for the family since the incident, has continued to call for the full public release of the body-camera and dash-camera footage connected to this incident.  

Videos show a chaotic scene

The incident happened at the Creekside community pool on Aug.3. Royse City Police said officers were responding to a disturbance call.

"We were at the pool or whatnot, and there was a couple, an older couple, there," Amaiyah Allen-Smith said. "It was me, my sisters, all of us, or whatnot. The rest, they're not here. And there was an older couple there. We were listening to music."

Allen-Smith said the woman in the couple alerted a pool attendant, then called police. 

In a video that began circulating online, at least five officers can be seen, and shrieks, screams, and cries are heard.

A young woman holding a child approached another officer, he pushed her, she struck him, and he shoved her in the face.

Feet away, another officer struck a shirtless person multiple times in the face. The officer is also seen putting a woman in a patrol car, the same woman who is shown on the ground having her hair yanked by an officer.

CBS News Texas was present when two of the women involved, Janiaca Wheeler and Zoey Manning, spoke to the public, calling for officers to be fired.

What happens next

Royse City Police said the internal investigation is now closed, while the criminal investigation into the incident remains open.

"The Royse City Police Department will not condone misconduct by any member of the police department and will take appropriate action when misconduct occurs," the department said in a statement. 

NGAN said while it does recognize the decision that Royse City Police made to take disciplinary action, "transparency must now accompany accountability. The termination of one officer does not close the larger conversation." 

NGAN said the family involved deserves a fair process and the public deserves to see all of the evidence of the actions of the Royse officers. 

"Today we learned that the Royse City Police Department has fired Officer Robert Crider following his use of excessive force against Janiaca Wheeler and her family," said Blerim Elmazi, one of the attorneys for the family. "This is a step in the right direction. However, one officer's termination does not undo what the Wheeler family endured, and it does not answer the larger questions about why this was allowed to happen. We intend to see those questions answered."