TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Department of Corrections has fired officers shown in a video of a guard slapping an inmate.
The video, posted to social media on Friday, shows an inmate standing still and facing officers when one of them strikes him across the face. It is unclear when the video was shot and by whom.
Ian Manuel, the man who posted the video on X, said he was given the footage by an inmate at Hamilton Correctional Institution in Hamilton County. Manuel, who was previously incarcerated in Florida, referred to the incident as a “Power Slap competition” in his social media post.
The Florida Department of Corrections said the officers in the video are no longer employed with the department, saying they were “dismissed.” A spokesperson declined to release the names or the number of people involved, citing an ongoing investigation. The department did not comment on the status of the inmate hit, citing the open investigation.