Police body cam footage of an Oklahoma police officer pepper spraying an elderly Black woman has the local community and many across the country demanding answers.
Geneva Smith was in her home when police suddently stormed her apartment in search of her son, Arthur Paul Blackmon, who police say had ran a stop sign moments earlier and then failed to pull over as instructed. Cops followed 56-year-old Blackmon to the home of his 84-year-old mother, where a confrontation ensued as officers began to search for Blackmon. In the video, a female officer is heard warning Smith that if she did not comply with orders, she would be sprayed. Seconds later, the same officer is seen spraying Smith directly in the eyes as she falls to the ground.
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Miskogee Police Chief Rex Eskridge says the department released the video to the public in an effort to be transparent as investigators work to get to the bottom of what hppened. The Smith family told NewsOn6 that Geneva Smith had to be taken to the hospital following the pepper spray incident and are demanding an apology from police.