A police officer in Virginia who donated money to support homicide suspect Kyle Rittenhouse was fired, authorities said Tuesday.
Lt. William Kelly, who worked in internal affairs for the Norfolk Police Department, was terminated after he expressed support for Rittenhouse and made an anonymous $25 donation to his defense fund. The officer's message at the time read, in part: “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Norfolk police said Kelly was initially placed on administrative leave last Friday while officials conducted an investigation into the former officer's actions.
“Chief Larry Boone and I have concluded Lt. Kelly’s actions are in violation of City and departmental policies," Chip Filer, the city manager of Norfolk, said in a statement. "His egregious comments erode the trust between the Norfolk Police Department and those they are sworn to serve. The City of Norfolk has a standard of behavior for all employees, and we will hold staff accountable."
Leave a comment