Aurora police officer shown on body camera pistol-whipping, choking man resigns

The Aurora police officer who is facing criminal charges and an internal affairs investigation after being shown on body camera footage beating an unarmed man has resigned, the police department announced Thursday afternoon.

John Haubert submitted a letter of resignation to Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, the department said in a blog post.

The internal affairs investigation, which Wilson said she ordered expedited, will continue, according to the post.

When it’s complete, Wilson will make a decision about whether Haubert violated police department directives and what discipline he would have received had he not resigned. The decision will be released to the public.

The department released body-camera footage Tuesday of Haubert beating Kyle Vinson with his gun and choking him. Haubert and officer Francine Martinez had responded to a trespassing call. Several other people fled when police arrived.

Vinson had not resisted the officers’ orders to get on his stomach when Haubert began hitting him, and the footage shows him gasping for air and repeatedly crying, “You’re killing me.”

Haubert, 39, faces criminal charges of attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault, felony menacing, official oppression and first-degree official misconduct. He had been a patrol officer with Aurora for three years.

Martinez, 40, faces misdemeanor charges of failure to intervene and failure to report use of force by an officer.

A spokesperson for Aurora police declined to make additional comments about Haubert’s resignation. In a news conference Tuesday, Wilson denounced his actions, saying the department is “disgusted” and “angry.”

“This is not police work. This is not police work. … This is not the Aurora Police Department. This was criminal,” she said.

Haubert’s attorney has not responded to requests for comment.

Qusair Mohamedbhai, Vinson’s attorney, said in a statement Thursday Haubert’s resignation is “long overdue.”

Read the article in its entirety at denvergazette.com