Boston Police Sergeant Apologizes for Waving Toy Gun in Man's Face

A video of a Boston Police sergeant prompted an internal investigation, but all the person who recorded it wanted was an apology from the officer.

The video shows the interaction between Sgt. Henry Staines and a man who goes by the name "Brother Lawrence." Boston Police Superintendent in Chief William Gross said the behavior in the video was unacceptable.

"There were no excuses made whatsoever," said Gross. "Sgt. Staines fully accepts his actions and interactions with Brother Lawrence."

Friday afternoon, a meeting was held at Boston's NAACP branch headquarters to get both sides talking to each other to resolve the issue.

"Brother Lawrence, the videographer, and Sgt. Henry Staines met today like men and talked about the incident," said Gross. "There was a sincere apology from Sgt. Staines to Brother Lawrence and they shook hands."

NAACP president Michael Curry says the dialogue that happened inside the meeting was necessary. With confrontations popping up around the country involving police, this situation turned out to become a teachable moment for both officers and the community.

"You can get in a room and fix this stuff, and it doesn't always have to play out on streets and riots and fights," said Boston NAACP President Michael Curry. "You can get in a room where people understand that there's something wrong, there's something systemic, and come up with a solution."

Gross said it is OK to videotape officers, just at a respectful space. He said the investigation is still ongoing.

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