An Ohio police officer was placed on paid administrative leave this week after he allegedly posted an inappropriate comment about the suicide of a Black Lives Matter activist, the Dayton Daily News reported.
MarShawn McCarrel, 23, fatally shot himself Monday on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.
Fairborn, Ohio police officer Lee Cyr commented “Love a happy ending” on a Facebook link about McCarrel, according to the report. Fairborn Police Department policy prohibits officers from posting on social media while on duty.
Police chief Terry Barlow told the newspaper that the paid leave was standard practice and the department was investigating the comment.
“(A) post that may discredit the police department are against policy,” Barlow said. “… We take this seriously. We will ensure the professional standards of the department are upheld.”
Dayton NAACP President Derrick Forward told local TV station WRGT that the officer should be fired if he wrote it.
“At the end of the day these are the people we entrust with guns to legally kill people to legally protect and serve people. We are glad that the chief of police has taken swift and decisive action,” Forward said.
