Strane initiated the physical fight. He hit the teacher in the back of the head after the two got into an argument. The student ran away after hitting him, however, was caught by Bennett who then pinned him to the ground, the report says.

The report states that Bennett “admitted to saying something to child about being shot that provoked” Strane. In the summer of 2020, the student was injured in a shooting.

One student who is unnamed in the report said that heard the teacher said that Strane was “just another Black boy that got shot.”

Child Protective Services, also investigated the incident, concluded that Bennett’s statements were “triggering” to the student, “who suffers ongoing emotional trauma as a previous gunshot victim.”

The report states that students and administrators tried to break up the fight, but Bennett would not release the student’s hair. “You proceeded to engage in the altercation despite the presence of another adult who was attempting to de-escalate the situation,” the document said.

Bennett is reported to have defended himself in the investigation, the document quotes him stating, “At no time did I ever take the position as the aggressor during the three assaults upon me. All actions were defensive in nature to protect me, the teacher who assisted, and the students around me. In the case of defending myself and not causing harm to the aggressor.”

Videos recorded by students assisted Child Protective Services in determining whether the teacher’s actions were proper. Some people can be heard yelling at the teacher “get off him” and “let him go.”