Dougherty High fight leaves school officer with broken ankle, officer speaks out

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - A Dougherty County Schools police officer is speaking out about an injury she suffered trying to break up a fight at Dougherty Comprehensive High School.

That officer suffered a broken ankle when a student intentionally tripped her while she was trying to break up a fight. The student was charged with aggravated battery of a police officer and taken to jail. But the officer says this issue goes far beyond what happened that day.

The officer’s name is Shawntal Byrd. She now has a permanent plate in her ankle along with four screws.

“I think parents should be held accountable for their children. Parents need to hold on to the ultimate responsibility for what their children are doing,” Byrd said.

She says some students disrespectfully walked over to her while she was on the ground, in pain. But she still believes most students are well-mannered.

“All students are not that way, but the few that are that way and they’re doing things of that nature. They should be held accountable and placed in alternative school,” she said.

There is surveillance video of the entire incident, and WALB is trying to get it from Dougherty County Schools, but they did issue a statement that reads in part: “The student was in the process of being apprehended when the student swept the officer’s legs in an attempt to get away.”

Byrd said she’s praying for the young people in our community because she’d rather see them succeed than end up in jail or dead.

Copyright 2023 WALB. All rights reserved.