Daniels calls for ‘swift, thorough’ review of Purdue arrest that went viral; students say they’re watching

Students say they want answers, an officer is put on leave after student’s video of his arrest goes viral

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Purdue President Mitch Daniels on Thursday promised a “swift and thorough” investigation, calling in the Indiana State Police for a review, into a Purdue University Police Department officer’s handling of a Black student’s arrest Friday after video of the incident caught fire on social media after it was posted days later.

Meanwhile, students filled one of Purdue’s largest lecture halls Thursday night, demanding the university take action against the officer and questioning whether they should expect similar treatment – the video showed the officer’s forearm pinning Purdue junior Adonis Tuggle’s head and neck into a snowbank – on campus.

Thursday night, Purdue Police Chief John Cox put Officer Jon Selke on leave, saying the officer had received death threats.

The head of the local NAACP said she’d asked for a meeting with Cox. Purdue’s Counseling and Psychological Services started a series of drop-in sessions for students processing what they saw in the video. The Purdue Student Government sent an open letter to students blasting the incident for highlighting what student body President Shannon Kang and Vice President Olivia Wyrick called “a level of racism and injustice that is deeply rooted not only in our campus community but across the nation.”

A lot was happening on the West Lafayette campus in the 24 hours after the first glimpse of what Tuggle called an unnecessary and excessive use of force.

“Really, this, so to speak, blew up yesterday afternoon,” Nigel Taylor, vice president of the Black Student Union, said Thursday night. “So, we’re just trying to act as quickly as possible. It’s been a lot to take in.”

Six days after Tuggle’s arrest and one day after video went viral, here’s how Thursday shook out at Purdue.