A Miami, Florida, firefighter was fired over an expletive-ridden social media post about the death of a police officer killed in the line of duty.
The post was published to a group chat on WhatsApp by a firefighter in response to the death of Miami-Dade Police Officer Cesar Echaverry. The 29-year-old officer was shot on Monday in a shootout with an armed robbery suspect and died from his injuries on Wednesday.
The post from firefighter Kevin Newcomb touched on several controversial topics, including gun control and coronavirus lockdowns.
“Who cares? Another dead cop, probably against gun control. They didn’t give an [expletive] when kids were dying in that school shooting they stood outside,” read the post.
“Cops exist for the government to exercise its monopoly on violence. They want the whole world to stop when one of theirs goes down. How many idiots I had to transport with honor guard their dead bodies from coronavirus because they all were too stupid to wear masks or get vaccinated?” he added.
“All cops are good for is protecting the rich property owners and the status quo,” he concluded. “Everything else is a farce. [Expletive] the police.”
The firefighter was placed on leave but later fired by the department as confirmed Friday by a statement from Miami Fire Rescue Chief Joseph Zahralban.
“We have confirmed that the firefighter in question authored a written statement using a social media platform that demonstrated a disregard for human life, demonstrated a violent and antagonistic stance towards civil servants and represented conduct unbecoming of a Miami Firefighter,” said Zahralban.
“These characteristics make it impossible for this individual to carry out his duties as a first responder in the City of Miami,” he concluded.
A line of police cruisers from numerous law enforcement agencies participated in a procession to honor Echaverry as his body was transported Friday from the hospital to the Medical Examiner’s office.
Here’s a local news report about the incident:
Miami Firefighter on Leave for Controversial Comment About Slain Cop
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