Cincinnati cop investigated over post saying white officers look for reasons to kill black men

Reporting from Cincinnati —  A black Cincinnati police officer is under investigation over a Facebook post that said white officers “are looking for a reason to kill a black man.”

The police department is aware of an officer’s post referencing an interpretation of law enforcement actions, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said in a statement that didn’t identify the officer.

“The comments that were posted are under review as they relate to our social media procedure and our rules and regulations,” Isaac said.

Isaac added that he is proud of the department’s officers and their efforts to work collaboratively with the community. The city has drawn praise nationally for its work to improve police-community relations after 2001 riots triggered by a fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Officer Freddie Vincent posted the Facebook comments earlier this month after the fatal shootings of black men by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota.

The post read in part: “Make sure that you are in a public place, and comply to all of their commands, because they are looking for a reason to kill a black man. And always keep your hands in the air, and never resist.”

Vincent didn’t immediately return a call to his home seeking comment Friday. His attorney, Christopher Wiest, told the Associated Press on Friday morning that his client planned a news conference about the post, but Wiest didn’t immediately respond to later calls and emails seeking additional comment and the time for any news conference.

Vincent alleged harassment and discrimination at the hands of white supervisors in a lawsuit filed against the city last year. That case was settled in April.

The review of the Facebook post, which officials say could take months, comes days after a rally marking the one-year anniversary of a black motorist’s fatal shooting by a white University of Cincinnati police officer during a traffic stop. Tuesday’s rally remembered Sam DuBose, who authorities say was fatally shot by Officer Ray Tensing, after Tensing pulled him over for a missing front license plate.

Tensing, who was fired by the university, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter.

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