A police officer in California has resigned following the discovery of racist text messages he wrote, including some that mocked a controversial shooting incident, according to the police chief. Mark McNamara, who joined the San Jose Police Department in 2017, quit last week after being informed of an investigation into his offensive messages. Police Chief Anthony Mata stated that McNamara was being investigated for an unrelated matter by the internal affairs unit, which led to the revelation of his “disgusting text messages” demonstrating racial bias. The messages included references to the March 2022 shooting of K’aun Green, a Black individual. McNamara shot and injured Green after he appeared to have ended a fight inside a restaurant near San Jose State University. Green had disarmed one of the individuals involved in the fight and was leaving through the front door with a confiscated handgun in the air when he was shot. The text messages, dated the day after the shooting, contained racial slurs directed towards Green. Other messages were sent while McNamara was being interviewed by the City Attorney’s Office and Green’s legal team, who had sued the city over the shooting. Adanté Pointer, the attorney representing Green, stated that the messages confirmed his belief that the shooting was racially motivated. Contact information for McNamara was unavailable at the time of the report. The President of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, Steve Slack, condemned the behavior and emphasized that it is unacceptable for someone in the law enforcement profession to display such racial bias.
California Officer Resigns Following Racist Texts, Chief Confirms, Amidst Controversial Police Shooting
