A Norfolk, Virginia, police officer is out of a job after having reportedly donated $25 to Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense fund, the New York Daily News reported.
The Norfolk city manager announced the officer’s departure in a Tuesday statement.
What are the details?
On Tuesday, Norfolk city manager Chip Filer announced that he accepted Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone’s recommendation to terminate the employment of Lt. William Kelly.
The move came on the heels of a Guardian report that named police officers and public officials who donated to Rittenhouse’s legal fund. The Guardian’s report noted that a data breach at a Christian crowdfunding website revealed that officers and officials donated money to Rittenhouse’s fund.
Rittenhouse is accused of two murders after having crossed state lines and shot protesters at an anti-police rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Kelly reportedly donated $25 to the fund using his department email address, and wrote a message of encouragement to Rittenhouse that read, “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong. Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”
In a lengthy statement, Filer said that the officer’s actions were against department policies.
“His egregious comments erode the trust between the Norfolk Police Department and those they are sworn to serve,” Filer said in the statement. “The City of Norfolk has a standard of behavior for all employees, and we hold staff accountable.”
In the statement, Boone added, “I want the residents of Norfolk to know that their police department will represent and uphold our organization values of Service, Honor, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Diversity. A police department cannot do its job when the public loses trust with those whose duty is it serve and protect them.”
JUST IN: @NorfolkPD Lt. William Kelly has been “relieved of duty” – he’s the officer accused of donating to Kyle R… https://t.co/SbWtBCE53m
— Dana Smith (@Dana Smith)1618946487.0
