Deputy fired in Tennessee after ‘open fire’ comment
Published 11:36 am Thursday, June 4, 2020
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JONESBOROUGH (AP) — A Tennessee county sheriff’s deputy was fired from his job after he said authorities should have “opened fire” on anyone who acted violently during protests against the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, officials said.
Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Casura was fired Monday after initially being suspended without pay, news outlets reported.
Chief Deputy Leighta Laitinen said Casura’s comment went against the values and standards of the department.
Laitinen said Casura and other deputies should be “mindful of their conduct in private life, how that conduct reflects on the Sheriff’s Office and how it can damage the trust of the community.”
Casura made the comment over the weekend on Facebook in a post about violent behavior by some people attending protests in Minnesota. “Open fire should have been issued on anyone participating,” he said in the post, according to news reports.
By Saturday night, Casura had been suspended.
Laitinen said Casura was apologetic and understood his comment was made in “poor taste.” A phone listing for Casura could not be found.
