A white Detroit Police Officer is under investigation after he posted racist Snapchat videos of a Black woman walking home in the cold after a traffic stop.
On Tuesday night, Corporal Gary Steele of Detroit’s sixth precinct stopped driver Ariel Moore for expired registration.
After the stop, Steele posted a Snapchat video posted to his account. Screenshots of the post, which were obtained by WXYZ-TV, show Moore walking in the cold weather as officers can be heard saying “priceless” and “walk of shame.”
Steele used Snapchat stickers that read “What black girl magic looks like” and “celebrating Black History Month” in the post.
Steele finished the video by saying “Bye, Felicia.”
Two days after the posts, Detroit Police Chief James Craig held a press conference and addressed Steele’s actions.
“I am angry,” Craig said Thursday afternoon. “I’m angry because this was a racially insensitive post.”
Chief Craig said Steele’s use of “Bye, Felicia” was “derogatory” and says the inappropriate use of a Black History Month sticker is extremely “problematic.”
“He has a troubling history,” Craig also revealed.
According to the chief, Steele was arrested in 2008 for a domestic attack on his girlfriend. During the dispute Steele fired a gun at her.
“His departmental history predates my appointment. It would have been a different outcome if I had been chief,” Craig said.
During the press conference, bodycam footage showed that the officers offered Moore a ride home just a block away from the traffic stop. She declined the ride and kept walking.
Chief Craig said he called Moore’s mother to personally offer an apology and that the department has waived fees associated with the towing of her daughter’s car.
Steele has been reassigned and stripped of his corporal ranking and will continue to be under investigation.
Watch the full Snapchat video here.
