Virginia cop accused of donating to Kyle Rittenhouse defense fund is fired
A Virginia cop lost his job after he was accused of donating to a defense fund for a Wisconsin shooting suspect, officials said.
The city of Norfolk said Lt. William Kelly was first placed on administrative leave Friday when reports surfaced that he “donated and expressed support for the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is charged with multiple felonies, including homicide.”
The former officer’s “egregious comments erode the trust between the Norfolk Police Department and those they are sworn to serve,” City Manager Chip Filer said Tuesday in a news release.
Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he was accused of showing up armed to a protest in August. He killed two people and injured a third person, according to officials in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
At the time, the city roughly 40 miles south of Milwaukee was the site of demonstrations after a member of its police department repeatedly shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, as he got into his SUV. Blake was hospitalized, and the officer in the case initially was put on administrative leave.
After the fatal shootings, Rittenhouse’s legal team said he went to the protest to “protect the city and provide medical care to those injured.” Some consider Rittenhouse a supporter of the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement, a sentiment echoed in a note Kelly shared with the $25 donation he made to the teen’s legal fund in September, multiple news outlets reported.
“You’ve done nothing wrong,” Kelly wrote, according to The Guardian. “Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”
The donation was anonymous but was tracked to the Norfolk Police Department through Kelly’s email, according to hacked files shared with The Virginian-Pilot.
Kelly, who media outlets report hasn’t commented publicly, was fired from the department’s internal affairs unit as of Tuesday. Norfolk officials said the former lieutenant violated the city’s policies.
“A police department cannot do its job when the public loses trust with those whose duty is to serve and protect them,” Police Chief Larry D. Boone said in a news release. “We do not want perceptions of any individual officer to undermine the relations between the Norfolk Police Department and the community.”
The Norfolk city manager said he reviewed the results of an investigation into Kelly and condemned his comments.
“The City of Norfolk has a standard of behavior for all employees, and we will hold staff accountable,” Filer said in a statement.
Kelly has the chance to appeal the city of Norfolk’s decision, according to officials.
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