Former Black Officer Was Fired After She Stopped a White Cop’s Chokehold On a Black Suspect

Cariol Horne, a black woman who was unceremoniously fired from the Buffalo Police Department recently in the wake of George Floyd’s death had her story go viral, as she had served on the force for over 19 years.

She believes she was fired because she stopped a white officer’s chokehold on a Black suspect who was in handcuffs.

Neal Mack, the suspect that was rescued, agrees that his life was saved by Horne and had thanked Horne for stepping in. Mack also remembers hearing Horne saying “you are killing him Greg” before she tried to remove the officer’s hand from his neck in November 2006. Horne noted that Mack seemed to be dying.

Just months before she was eligible for her pension she was fired because the Buffalo Police Department brought disciplinary charges and officially fired her. She and her lawyer were also sued by Greg Kwiatkowski for defamation of character.

Cariol believes she has lost everything in order to save the life of a person because she “crossed the blue line.” She wants to be the change as she doesn’t want another officer to be fired because they try to save a life.

In the wake of George Floyd’s death, the Buffalo Common Council submitted a resolution to the New York Attorney General’s Office and a second look will be taken at her case.

The resolution states that there is a responsibility that proposes special protection for police officers when they intervene to protect citizens from excessive use of force in situations where other officers are involved.

The Buffalo Police Department has also been called upon to “enforce and train officers on the duty to intervene policy, within 30 days and check into any attendance days for the officer to receive her pension.  

Horne can now be hopeful that her pension will be reinstated, a “Go Fund Me” account was set up for her so she can get through the tough times.