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Robert E. Lee resource officer used excessive force, report finds

Joseph Richardson fired following investigation

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Duval County Public School resource officer used excessive and unnecessary force during a confrontation with a student, according to an investigative report News4Jax received Monday.

Officer Joseph Richardson was reassigned after a video surfaced in October, appearing to show Richardson with his hand near a teenager's neck at Robert E. Lee High School.

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WATCH: Confrontation involving resource officer

The investigation conducted by the school district concluded that Richardson "did not have lawful justification to physically restrain the student, and when he physically placed the student up against the wall and used his hand to hold her around her neck, his actions were excessive and unnecessary."

"Furthermore, Officer Richardson’s actions when he 'let' the student to the ground were also unnecessary and excessive," the report concluded.

The school district noted that in October 2015, Richardson received a three-day suspension for failing to take appropriate action involving the mishandling of evidence.

RELATED: School resource officer reassigned after confrontation

After placing him on suspension without pay, the school board fired Richardson.