Virginia Police Officer Fired After Donating to Kyle Rittenhouse Defense Fund

A Norfolk police officer was fired after donating to the Kyle Rittenhouse Defense Fund, according to a press release issued on Tuesday.

Lieutenant William Kelly reportedly made the donation last fall with the comment, “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong...Every rank and file police officer supports you,” according to Virginia’s local news company, WAVY News.

The Guardian reported that Sgt. William Kelly made an anonymous $25 donation to Rittenhouse’s defense in September. However, Sgt. Kelly allegedly used an official email address linked to himself.

The private information only came out after a data breach of the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, which showed official email addresses belonging to many police officers and public officials.

Sgt. Kelly has been with the Norfolk Police Department for 18 years.

Norfolk’s city manager said that Kelly’s “egregious comments erode the trust between the Norfolk Police Department and those they are sworn to serve. The City of Norfolk has a standard of behavior for all employees, and we will hold staff accountable.”

Sgt. Kelly can appeal the decision about his termination.

Do you think police officers should be fired for donating to a defense fund? Were his comments too far? Should officer Kelly appeal the decision? Let us know your thoughts below!

---