An Ohio man who kneeled on the neck of a crying 2-year-old baby boy in a viral photo was arrested and may be charged with child abuse.
Isaiah Jackson, 20, of Clark County, was arrested on a probation violation unrelated to the shocking incident.
Clark County officials are reviewing potential charges against Jackson, who is shown kneeling on a crying baby’s neck in the photo.
The photo was a recreation of the image of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on the neck of George Floyd.
The baby boy’s arms are being held by someone off camera. It is not clear if the person restraining the child will also be arrested.
investigators made contact with Jackson, the child’s mother and the child immediately after the photo went viral with the caption “Blm now mf.”
The baby was evaluated at a local hospital but he was unharmed. The mother, who is dating Jackson, was not aware of the photo having been taken, or its contents, until she was informed by other parties after the photo went viral, according to WHIO.
The mother and baby are Caucasian, Jackson is mixed-race.
The baby’s grandmother posted screenshots of text messages er daughter exchanged with a friend that show her defending Jackson’s actions.
“We are looking into this case; however, it is still an active investigation. At this point, we are actively looking into it and we are VERY early on into this investigation,” Major Chris Clark added in an e-mailed statement.
Lt. Shultz said the county prosecutor’s office will “provide a determination of the scope and breadth of the felony charges” Jackson is likely to face.
Facebook is suspending the accounts of users who post the photo for violating the community’s standards on hate speech and nudity.
