A high-ranking Norfolk, Virginia police officer who contributed to Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense fund, has been fired.
Kyle Rittenhouse is accused of murdering two Black Lives Matter protesters last August in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Lieutenant William Kelly, the executive officer of NPD’s internal affairs division, made an anonymous $25 donation to Rittenhouse’s defense in September. Kelly used an official email address associated with himself.
The news came from a data breach at the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, which exposed several police officers’ and government officials’ official email addresses. The openness organization Distributed Denial of Secrets exchanged the details with the Guardian.
Kelly allegedly made the donation on September 3 with the comment, “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong” and “Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”
Following the donation’s discovery, Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone said Kelly was initially reassigned to another division while an internal investigation was conducted. In his original comment, he didn’t mention Kelly by name.
Kelly had worked for the Norfolk Police Department for 18 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. For the past two months, he has served as the executive officer of internal affairs.
In a statement issued Tuesday, April 20, Norfolk City Manager Chip Filer said that he had approved Chief Boone’s recommendation to relieve Lt. Kelly of his duties:
“I have reviewed the results of the internal investigation involving Lt. William Kelly. Chief Larry Boone and I have concluded Lt. Kelly’s actions are in violation of City and departmental policies. His 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.”
Chief Boone said to residents that he wants them to know that the department will reflect and maintain organizational principles.
“A police department cannot do its job when the public loses trust with those whose duty is to serve and protect them,” said Chief Boone. “We do not want perceptions of any individual officer to undermine the relations between the Norfolk Police Department and the community.”
Chief Boone concluded his statement by urging community members to continue to support the department’s officers.
Kelly has the option of appealing the ruling.
