The video, according to the documents, shows Piner engaging in two separate conversations, one with Gilmore and then a phone call with Moore. After listening to the video for a short time, the sergeant heard "extremely racist" comments from the officers. The nearly two-hour long video came from a camera in Piner's patrol vehicle that was "accidentally" activated. The investigation that resulted in the firing of the three officers began with a routine audit.Īccording to an internal investigation, a police sergeant conducting a monthly review of police footage uncovered the remarks on June 4. "While terminating an employee is never easy – there are times when it is extremely necessary," Williams added.Ī routine inspection uncovered the racist remarks He said Wednesday was a "challenging day for me because as your new police chief - one of my first major tasks is to announce the termination of three veteran police officers for misconduct." Williams made the announcement just one day after he was sworn in as the city's police chief. "We made that determination for these three officers, we do not intend to call them in the future for any case," David told NPR. He said that while the review is ongoing, his office has already thrown out cases. Hanover County District Attorney Benjamin David told NPR that a prosecutor in his office has initially identified 89 cases involving the former officers to be reviewed. Williams also announced that the department would work with the District Attorney to review any possible bias they may have shown in criminal cases. Williams also said he was recommending that the former officers be ineligible for re-hire by the city and was notifying state authorities responsible for deciding if an officer can maintain state certification. "When I first learned of these conversations, I was shocked, saddened and disgusted. "There are certain behaviors that one must have in order to be a police officer and these three officers have demonstrated that they do not possess it," Williams said. In a statement on Wednesday, Chief Donny Williams said the officers had violated department rules in the recorded conversations. Investigators also said Gilmore referred to anti-racism protesters as "worshipping blacks," and Piner said he expects a "civil war" and was planning to buy an assault rifle. Two of them - Moore and Piner - were said to be captured using the n-word multiple times. Investigators say video captured exchanges by the officers showed them making disparaging and racist remarks. On Tuesday, the Wilmington Police Department fired officers James Gilmore and Kevin Piner and Corporal Jesse Moore after a routine review of video by the department triggered an investigation. Those include one of the officers saying he was ready for a "civil war" against Black people. has fired three police officers after investigators say footage from one of their patrol cars showed them exchanging racist and sometimes threatening remarks. The police department in Wilmington, N.C.
has fired officers James Gilmore and Kevin Piner and Corporal Jesse Moore after a review of footage from one of their control cars showed them making racist and disparaging remarks.Īndrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Some of the statements made by some of the officers in the initial recordings included saying a magistrate judge needed a ‘bullet in her head right then and move on,’ and advocating for a ‘civil war to wipe ‘em off the map.’Īccording to court documents, the second recording on May 31, 2020, “Petitioner’s reference to WPD Sergeant (now Lieutenant) as a ‘thing,’ and Petitioner’s response and apparent agreement with Piner’s statement that ‘She’s dumb as a box of rocks.The city of Wilmington, N.C. The videos came to light in June 2020, when tensions between police and the public reached a boiling point following the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis by a white police officer. Now, additional details, including the revelation of a second recording not previously disclosed, have been made public after one of the officers challenged his firing. (WECT) - Nearly two years have passed since three Wilmington Police officers were captured by a malfunctioning dashboard camera making racist and offensive comments that ultimately led to their termination.
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