Pennsylvania police officer who tasered unarmed black man not suspended

Footage of the incident, which occurred on 28 June, provoked a strong reaction from the online community.

A police officer who was caught on camera using a stun gun using a stun gun on an unarmed black man sitting on a curb will not be suspended or fired, officials confirmed.

Philip Bernot’s job was not in jeopardy because he had complied with current use-of-force and Taser policies which allows for the use of a stun gun when a person ignores multiple commands, said Diane Sorace, the mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Mr Bernot was filmed as he repeatedly told Sean Williams to straighten his legs. As the 27-year-old starts to do so, he fires his taser at him and Mr Williams collapses.

His actions provoked a strong response from the online community after footage of the episode was widely-circulated on social media. It has racked up more than 6.2 million views on Twitter and 2.8 million times on Facebook.

Mr Sorace acknowledged that members of the community would find the decision “extremely upsetting”, but he insisted Mr Bernot was not to blame for adhering to policies that needed to be updated.

"I am accountable as mayor for existing policies, procedures, training, hiring practices and more," he said of the 28 June incident. "It's on me."

Hundreds of people took to the streets in protest the following day demanding justice, accountability and an end to police brutality after the clip was shared.

Lancaster Police Department said at the time that the officer was responding to a call about a a man with a baseball bat. Mr Williams has filed a civil lawsuit against the force.

His attorney Brian Mildenberg told ABC News that the first goal of the complaint- which names city of Lancaster, Lancaster police and Officer Philip Bernot as defendants-is to remedy the pain his client “suffered and continues to suffer, for being traumatized, for being subjected to excessive force."

The suit claims he now suffers from “crippling anxiety” and feels pains in back, neck and shoulders.

Speaking to Good Morning America, Mr Williams said he believes he was racially profiled and has been left traumatised by the ordeal.

"Nobody should be Tased in the back in a situation where they're not doing anything wrong," he said. "If they're following every directive that's being given to them, there's no reason that somebody should get stunned in the back to the point where they could be traumatized for the rest of their life."