Officer Under Investigation for Harassing Man Holding a Vigil for His Dead Friend

The Longview Police Department is reviewing an officer’s behavior after online viewers complained about an interaction with him and a Longview man caught on video.

Rayshaun Swagerty-Owens, 31, said he was questioned while holding a vigil for a recently passed friend because of his race. Longview police say Officer David Mora questioned him during routine foot patrols around the Highlands. No arrest was made.

Thousands of online viewers watched the interaction in a video Swagerty-Owens, who is a person of color, captured from his cell phone and posted online. Thousands also commented on a video Longview Police Department shared of Mora’s body camera footage during the stop. Many commenters said Mora was disrespectful during the interaction.

As of last week, Mora, who joined the department in 2020, was under review to see if his behavior was part of department policy and he is still on the force, said Longview Capt. Branden McNew.

Swagerty-Owens gathered near a bench off Industrial Way with others on the night of Sept. 19 to mourn 26-year-old Celeste Williams, who died in a rollover car accident earlier that day near the Longview location. He said the two “were really close; I’ve known [her] since I was in diapers.”