In statement about Sunday’s mass, fatal shooting Antioch Mayor Thorpe again calls for immediate firing of cops in racist text scandal
35 officers currently on administrative leave
By Allen D. Payton
In a statement posted on his campaign website and shared on his official social media pages on Monday, June 12, 2023, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe commented on the fatal shooting on Sunday morning that took the life of an 18-year-old female and wounded six others who were attending a birthday party. (See related article)
In it, he called for “the officers involved in the racist text-messaging scandal” to be fired immediately but Thorpe wouldn’t say how many officers that entails. Following is the post of his statement:
Statement by Mayor Lamar Thorpe Re. Mass Shooting
Antioch, CA- On June 6, 2023, Mayor Thorpe issued the following statement regarding the mass shooting in Antioch:
“Birthdays are one of the most intimate and sacred celebrations in everyone’s life. They represent growth, reflection, and appreciation for life’s gifts. Over the weekend one such celebration was cut short as a result of gun violence.
An 18-year-old young lady lost her life and 6 others were injured. My heart is with the victims and families of this horrific incident.
Across the US, there have been at least 290 mass shootings so far this year. I’m saddened to report that Antioch joins the growing list of cities that have experienced mass shootings in 2023.
Earlier this morning, I was briefed by Chief Steve Ford about this weekend’s incident. During my briefing, I reiterated to the Chief that the officers involved in the racist text-messaging scandal (who are currently on administrative leave) need to be fired immediately so we can free up those positions and hire new police officers directly from the academy.
Each day these officers are on leave is another day we are prevented from having a stronger police presence on our streets to deter and/or respond to gun violence.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the date of his post is still incorrect as are the spelling of “Antioch” and “Bay Area” in the tags at the end.
Thorpe was asked via email Monday afternoon which of the officers in the text scandal does he want Chief Ford to immediately terminate. “All 45 of them Including those who received but did not respond to the offensive texts from some of the officers? Or just the officers who sent the texts?” He was also asked how many officers are currently on administrative leave during the investigation of the scandal. Thorpe did not respond.
When asked how many officers are on paid leave due to the text scandal, Antioch Police spokesman Corporal Price Kendall shared there are 115 authorized sworn officers, with 98 currently on staff. Of those 35 are on administrative leave total, but he would not specify what type, leaving 49 officers on full duty with 31 on patrol.
Regarding Thorpe’s call for the terminations Kendall added, “The Antioch Police Department is not handling the investigation. We have been recused from the investigation by the City Attorney. The City Attorney is handling the investigation. Chief Ford cannot make any decisions regarding those involved until the City Attorney completes his investigation. The mayor knows this.”
the attachments to this post:
Mayor Thorpe’s tweet & website post 061223
