Mayor: FBI Still Investigating Hammond Stun Gun Case

Hammond police officers Patrick Vicari and Charles Turner had been assigned to office duties after the FBI informed the city it wanted to review the Sept. 24 incident

The mayor of Hammond, Ind. issued a clarification Tuesday saying FBI officials have not closed their investigation into two officers who were captured on video breaking a car window and using a stun gun on a passenger.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. wrote on Facebook Tuesday that he heard a report on National Public Radio that contradicted his earlier statement that the officers involved in the incident had been cleared by the FBI.

"I immediately contacted Jay Abbott, Special Agent in charge of the State of Indiana. He requested that I clarify statements that were previously made regarding the status of the investigation," McDermott wrote. "Based on my conversation with Agent Abbott, he informed me that this matter is still being assessed by the Civil Rights Division at the US Department of Justice. Until the assessment is complete, there will not be a determination as to whether a 'formal investigation' will be initiated."

This comes after McDermott issued a statement Monday saying the FBI had cleared the two officers involved in the incident and the Hammond Police Department placed them back on regular duty.

It was not immeditealy clear if the officers would in fact be returning to the streets following the mayor's latest clarification. The mayor's office could not immediately be reached for comment.

Patrick Vicari and Charles Turner had been assigned to office duties after the FBI informed the city it wanted to review the Sept. 24 incident.

Jamal Jones and Lisa Mahone, both of Hammond, filed a lawsuit against the city and the officers alleging excessive force was used. That federal lawsuit was still pending Tuesday.

10/07/14: Video shows police officers breaking a car window and using a Taser on a man during a traffic stop while two children are in the back seat.

Joseph Ivy, 14, said he recorded the video because he was scared and felt something wasn't right about the situation he was witnessing.

In the video, Mahone is heard telling a 911 dispatcher that she was scared for her life.

"He just pulled a gun on us and we don't have a gun," she said of one of the officers looming outside her vehicle.

Hammond Police Lt. Richard Hoyda immediately after the incident said he felt the officers acted within the law.

The entire ordeal centered around an unworn seat belt, Mahone said.

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