Nashville Officer Fired After Philando Castile Comment
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Nashville police officer who was decommissioned last July after making a Facebook post about a Minnesota officer fatally shooting a black motorist has been fired.
The police department said in a news release that Deputy Chief Todd Henry made the decision to fire Officer Anthony Venable after a disciplinary hearing Wednesday. Venable had been assigned to desk duty after he was decommissioned.
Police said at the time that during a Facebook conversation Venable wrote, "Yeah. I would have done 5," an apparent reference to the reported four shots an officer fired at Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. The shooting's aftermath was streamed live on Facebook by Castile's girlfriend, who was in the car with him.
Officials say Venable said it was sarcasm directed at another person.
Police said Venable had been with the department for nine years.
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