A White police officer in Kansas lost his job for randomly threatening a little Black girl’s life on social media.
According to the Daily Mail, Rodney Lee Wilson, an officer with the Overland Park Police Department, left a death threat for LaNaydra Williams‘ daughter on the mother’s Facebook page.
Apparently, Wilson, who has no connection to Williams, came across the Dallas resident’s page and a two-year-old picture of her then 3-year-old daughter, India. While most people had commented on how adorable India looked, Williams said she was terrified when she saw what Wilson added.
“We’ll see how much her life matters soon … better be careful leaving your info in the open where she can be found. Hold her close tonight, it’ll be the last time,” he wrote.
The Texas mom told WDAF News she couldn’t sleep all night and doesn’t understand why Wilson targeted her and her child.
“It’s not okay. Not my child, she’s all I have. India is my heart, that’s not right. We’re already on edge, so why would you do that?” the distressed mother said.
Soon after, Williams checked Wilson’s page and to her dismay discovered he was a police officer.
“I see he’s a cop. For this guy to just come out of nowhere, just being disrespectful. How can you be an officer? How, How? It’s unacceptable. For anyone — but especially for a police officer,” she told KSHB.com.
She then filed a complaint with Wilson’s supervisors, who at first tried to tell her his page had been hacked. But by Friday, the Overland Park Police Department issued a statement admitting Wilson had in fact left the horrifying comment and as a result had been fired.
Police Chief Francis Donchez Jr. said in a statement: “This morning, the Overland Park Police Department received notification about a Facebook post, reportedly made by one of our officers from his personal Facebook account. During the investigation, by our Professional Standards Unit, we learned our officer did in fact make this post. It was obvious that our officer did not meet the standards of professionalism for the Overland Park Police Department. Overland Park has terminated the officer, effective immediately.
“This quick action demonstrates our commitment to our core values including integrity and respect. I want to assure our community, and those outside our community, that our highest priority is the safety and welfare of the citizens of Overland Park, and the men and women who protect everyone.”
Wilson hadn’t worked for the Overland Park Police Department very long —just over a year, the Daily Mail noted.
It’s unknown why Wilson targeted Williams, but the mother did tell WDAF News that her profile picture had been a person dressed in black holding a knife to a police officer’s throat. Facebook later suspended her account.
Either way, that doesn’t make it OK for an adult to threaten an innocent child’s life. What is the world coming to?
SOURCE: Daily Mail, WDAF News, KSHB.com | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter
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