The police chief for the Courtdale Police Department in Pennsylvania has been suspended without pay for a post he made on Facebook about people taking part in the nationwide unrest in the wake of the death of George Floyd, The Citizen's Voice reports.
“Just start shooting … This will end quick!!!!! This is making me sick!!!!” Chief Christopher Matello wrote in the now-deleted post.
According to Courtdale officials, Matello's full punishment can't be revealed because it's a "personnel issue."
“He has taken ownership of the post and, as a result, council issued a disciplinary action and he’s currently serving that discipline handed out by council,” Courtdale solicitor Sam Sanguedolce said.
Speaking to WBRE-TV, Matello said that he made the comments because he was reacting to the "violence and the riots across the country."
"I am not against the protesters," he said. "I was not trying to incite violence. I did not mean that people should be shot."