Dallas police officer on leave for alleged social media post on Trump assassination attempt
A Dallas police officer is under investigation for a comment he allegedly made on social media Saturday after the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, officials said.
The post reads, “Aim better,” according to a screenshot shared with Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Sgt. Arturo Martinez, a 14-year veteran with the Dallas Police Department, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The department received an internal complaint about Martinez’s post, officials said.
Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a statement that he was “appalled” by the violence that unfolded at the campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday when a gunman opened fire, injuring Trump and critically wounding two attendees. A 50-year-old former fire chief, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting.
The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was killed by Secret Service agents.
“When I received the notification regarding the comment posted, disappointed would be an understatement,” Garcia said. “If in fact true, the comment made has no place in our society, and certainly has no place in law enforcement.”
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Martinez is the supervisor of the Dallas Police Department’s robbery unit, according to the department’s website.
“The comments made, if confirmed, certainly do not reflect the professionalism and dedication of the men and women of the Dallas Police Department,” Garcia said in the statement.
