#Denver cop fired for ‘let’s start a riot’ post amid George Floyd protests

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Officer Thomas McClay shared the message Sunday to Instagram.
Instagram

A Denver cop was fired for posting “let’s start a riot” on social media ahead of a night of George Floyd protests, according to reports.

Officer Thomas McClay shared the message Sunday to Instagram along with a photo of himself and two other officers in riot gear, news outlet 9News reported.

Police launched an investigation after the image surfaced and terminated him, just one day later, for violating social media policy, the outlet reported.

The two other officers seen in the since-deleted image remain with the force and are not under probe, the report said.

Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock wrote on Twitter that he backed the police’s decision and said he regrets the incident “occurred at a moment in time when we must all bring out the very best of ourselves to meet the challenges before us.”

The Denver Police Protective Association slammed McClay’s photo Tuesday night in a statement as “inflammatory, insensitive, and quite frankly, misguided,” news station KMGH reported.

“It is time to end utilizing social media as a tool to divide,” the union said. “It is time to sit down and talk face to face.”