Texas officer terminated over excessive force on consecutive nights

A Texas police officer was terminated after using excessive force on two consecutive nights on duty, The Dallas Morning News reports.

Matthew Mitchell was fired from the Garland Police Department in May and was scheduled for two public hearings this week to appeal his termination.

Asked about the termination, Garland Police spokesperson Lt. Pedro Barineau told The Hill that Mitchell was “terminated as a result of our internal investigation.”

“However, he has officially resigned prior to the completion of the appeals process part of the investigation,” Barineau said

Mitchell’s termination was previously disclosed in August, but the News noted that the nature of the incidents was not discussed.

At the time, Garland Police Chief Jeff Bryan said that the use of force incidents were “not within our policy and were not within the law.”

Mitchell had previously worked for two other police departments before working for Garland police, the newspaper notes. He had no prior criminal charges or misdemeanors.

–Updated at 1:12 p.m.