Three North Carolina police officers were fired in Wilmington after a local sergeant reviewed video footage that showed one of the officers saying a civil war was necessary to wipe Black people off the map and that he was ready.
The department took action on Tuesday, firing Cpl. Jessie Moore and officers Kevin Piner and Brian Gilmore for violating standards of conduct, criticism and use of inappropriate jokes and slurs, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The video audit was conducted as part of a monthly inspection, according to police department documents reviewed by AP.
Piner can be heard in the video complaining to Gilmore from his car, that the department’s sole focus was “kneeling down with the black folks.” About 30 minutes later, Piner accepted a call from Moore, who at one point in the conversation referred to a Black woman as a “negro.” He also used a racial slur to describe her. He later combined the same slur with a gay slur in describing a Black magistrate.
As the conversation unfolds, Piner can be heard telling Moore that he feels a civil war is coming and that he is ready, according to AP. Piner tells Gilmore he intended to buy a new assault rifle, and go out to slaughter Black people. “I can’t wait. God, I can’t wait,” Piner said. Moore responded by saying he would not do that.
While the officers protested that they were not racist, they contended that their comments reflected the stress felt by law enforcement amid demonstrations following the death of George Floyd who was killed by Minneapolis police last month.
