A Miami firefighter who drew backlash over his controversial "who cares" message about the death of a Miami-Dade detective in the line of duty has been fired, his chief said.
Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban announced Friday that the department had fired one of their firefighters after confirming he'd posted the message.
"We have confirmed that the firefighter in question authored a written statement using a social media platform that demonstrated a disregard for human life, demonstrated a violent and antagonistic stance towards civil servants and represented conduct unbecoming of a Miami Firefighter," Zahralban said in a statement. "These characteristics make it impossible for this individual to carry out his duties as a first responder in the City of Miami."
Zahralban didn't name the firefighter but he was identified Thursday as Kevin Newcomb.
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Newcomb posted the comments in a group chat on WhatsApp following the death of Det. Cesar "Echy" Echaverry, who was shot in the head during a confrontation with an armed robbery suspect Monday night.
"Who cares another dead cop probably against gun control," the message read, in part. "Cops exist for the government to exercise its monopoly on violence. They want the whole world to stop when one of theirs goes down."
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The firefighter also mentioned the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and police officers who'd died from COVID-19.
"How many idiots I had to transport with honor guard their dead bodies from coronavirus because they were all too stupid to wear masks or get vaccinated," the message read. "All cops are for is protecting the rich property owners and the status quo. Everything else is a farce. F--- the police."
The comments drew outrage from many in the law enforcement and firefighting communities.
The president of the Miami Association of Firefighters said in a statement that they "stand in solidarity and in mourning with our brothers and sisters in blue."
"What we do want to make clear is that our firefighters and our Fire Department fully support our police," Alexander Cardenas said. "As City of Miami firefighters, we work alongside hardworking police officers every day to keep our City safe, and greatly respect their work and sacrifice."
