Overview

• A cellphone video released July 20 shows Officer D. Bowers smashing William McNeil Jr.’s driver-side window and punching him after McNeil, who remained seated and noncombative, questioned a headlight requirement.
• The Florida State Attorney’s Office cleared all officers of criminal wrongdoing, noting the body-worn cameras did not capture the punch that appears in the viral clip.
• Sheriff T. K. Waters placed Officer Bowers on administrative leave and opened an internal review to assess potential policy violations.
• Newly released bodycam footage shows officers warning McNeil to exit his vehicle and a serrated knife found on the floorboard, but sharply contradicts McNeil’s and his attorneys’ depiction of events.
• McNeil pleaded guilty to resisting without violence and driving on a suspended license while his civil rights lawyers dispute the official narrative and demand transparency and accountability.