A must read update: The Facebook post from Columbus, MS that caused veteran firefighter to resign. Three others get long suspensions for hitting “Like”.
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Previous STATter911.com coverage of this story here and here
As we’ve been reporting, there has been a good deal of controversy in Columbus, Mississippi over a Facebook post that resulted in the resignation of Firefighter Brad Alexander and the 30-day suspensions of two other firefighters and a cop. The post that caused all of this had been taken down from Alexander’s personal Facebook page and until now had not been part of the news coverage. Sarah Wilson at the Columbus Packet was able to track down the actual post and it was published this morning:
People never cease to amaze me. Mama yelling oh my baybee my baybee….Hey you stupid ass, where was babyeees mama at while your 2 year old was getting hit by a truck. Mama needs to have her guts cut so there wont be anymore babies. Freeloading ignorant woman
Lance Luckey, Damon Estes, Eric Minga and 12 others like this
The posting on Facebook came after Alexander responded to a child struck by a pickup truck on August 20th. According to the Columbus Packet, two-year-old Tyree Sparks Jr. was being watched by a family friend when he ran from the porch into the street and was hit. The boy recovered from relatively minor head injuries:
Shanta Henley, Tyree’s Aunt and Classie Craddieth, his grandmother raced from another neighbors home across Military Rd. as soon as they saw the commotion. Henley and Craddieth held the boys hands to calm him until emergency responders arrived minutes later. Sparks’ Aunt, Shanta Henley,accompanied Sparks in the ambulance and Craddieth and another Aunt, Shameka Nickelson, followed them to Baptist Hospital.
They said that the mother of the child,Terrance Henley, was actually on her way back from Columbus High School , where she is a Senior, when the accident occurred and was extremely emotional after she learned her child had been struck.
Read entire Columbus Packet article
Reporter Wilson writes that relatives of the boy are quite upset about the post and are considering legal action. Also, a group of citizens are organizing a fundraiser to assist the Facebook 4, as they have been dubbed.
Much of the controversy stems around the suspensions for Firefighter Damon Estes, Firefighter Eric Minga and Police Officer Lance Luckey who hit “like” after reading the post. Columbus, Mississippi does not have a social media policy.
According to Wilson, there is no comment from city officials about the identities of the other 12 people who clicked “like” for this now infamous post.
